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fi. 


THE  TRIPLE  TRADITION  OF 

THE  EXODUS 


A  STUDY  OF  THE   STRUCTURE  OF  THE  LATER 
PENTATEUCHAL    BOOKS,   REPRODUCING 
THE     SOURCES      OF      THE      NAR- 
RATIVE,    AND     FURTHER 
ILLUSTRATING  THE 
PRESENCE  OF 

BIBLESWITHINTHE  BIBLE 


/ 
BENJAMIN  WISNER  BACON,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 

Author  of  ^'  The  Genesis  of  Genesis.'" 


"The  books  of  the  Old  Testament  in  their  present  form,  in  many  instances  are 
not,  and  do  not  profess  to  be,  the  original  documents  on  which  the  history  was 
based.  There  was  (to  use  a  happy  expression  employed  of  late)  " -v  bible  within  , 
A  BIBLE,"  an  "  Old  Testament  before  an  Old  Testament  was  written."  To  discover 
any  traces  of  the  lost  works  in  the  actual  te.xt,  or  any  allusions  to  them  even  when 
their  substance  is  entirely  perished,  is  a  task  of  immense  interest." 

STANLEY. 


HARTFORD 

THE  STUDENT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1894 


COPYRIGHTED   BY 

THE   STUDENT  PUBLISHING    CO. 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR. 


THE  GENESIS  OF  GENESIS: 

A  Study  of  the  Documentary  Sources  of  the  First  Book  of  Moses  in  accordance  with  the 
results  of  critical  science,  illustrating  the  presence  of  bibles  within  the  bible.  Hart- 
ford, The  Student  Publishing  Company,  1893. 

CRITICAL  NOTICES. 

"  The  fruit  of  a  vast  amount  of  patient  research."     The  Congregationalist. 

"  A  popular  and  interesting^  contribution  to  one  of  the  most  important  and  puzzling 
questions  raised  by  modern  Biblical  critics."     New   York  Tribune. 

"  We  heartily  commend  this  book  to  any  of  our  readers  who  desire  to  get,  in  a  clear, 
intelligible  and  simple  form,  the  modern  view  of  the  composition  of  Genesis."  The 
Christian  Union  (now  The  Outlook). 

■'  The  author  neither  declaims  nor  disputes,  but  instead  sets  before  the  reader  page  after 
page  of  internal  evidence,  which  leads  with  the  force  almost  of  a  mathematical  demon- 
stration to  the  conclusions  of  modern  critical  science."  The  Christian  World.,  London, 
Eng. 

"  Man  wird  gestehen  miissen,  dass  ein  Katechismus  der  Methode  alttestamentlicher 
Wissenschaft  von  so  hohem  Unterrichtswerthe  bisher  nicht  annahernd  geboten  ist." 
Schilrer^s  Theologische  Literatttrzeitung,  Leipzig,  Germany. 

Prof.  T.  K.  Cheyne  of  Oxford,  England,  writes,  in  his  Founders  0/  Old  Testament 
Criticism.,  N.  Y.  1893,  p.  246,  "  Mr.  Bacon  strikes  me  as  the  ablest  of  our  younger  Hexa- 
teuch  critics." 

Pres.  W.  R.  Harper  of  Chicago  University  says  :  "  The  best  thing  in  English  on  the 
subject." 

Prof.  K.  Budde  of  Strassburg,  declares  it  "  superior  to  the  German  works  of  the  class." 

Prof.  G.  F.  Moore  of  Andover  says  :  "  It  is  the  fruit  of  long  and  thorough  study  of  the 
text,  and  of  intimate  acquaintance  with  recent  criticism.  A  more  competent  guide 
through  the  labyrinth  of  the  analysis  would  be  hard  to  find." 

Rev.  Julius  H.  Ward,  D.  D.:  "A  very  scholarly  and  thoughtful  work." 

The  New  York  Sun  commends  it  in  a  four  column  review. 

T\i&  New  York  Evening  Post  g\\ts  a.n  editorial  to  "  Changed  Popular  Conceptions  of 
the  Bible,"  speaking  of  this  work  as  "  written  in  a  style  that  everybody  can  understand," 
and  adds  :  "  Books  of  that  sort  are  destined  to  increase  and  to  have  a  powerful  influence." 

Prof.  Oort  of  Leiden  in  the  Theol.  Tijdschri/t,  Prof.  Toy  of  Harvard  in  The  Nezu  World, 
Canon  Driver  of  Oxford,  and  other  eminent  critics  speak  of  it  in  similar  high  terms. 


BIBLES  WITHIN  THE  BIBLE. 


PREFACE. 

It  is  now  some  eight  years  since  I  undertook  a  typographical 
exhibit  of  the  sources  of  the  Hexateuch.  The  worl<,  at  first 
planned  to  present  the  sources,  from  Genesis  to  Joshua,  was 
found  too  voluminous  and  reduced  for  "  The  Genesis  of  Gene- 
sis," (Student  Pub.  Co.,  Hartford,  Ct.,  1892)  to  include  only  Gen- 
esis and  the  first  twenty  chapters  of  Exodus.  Even  this  was 
found  to  be  too  long,  and  the  material  prepared  on  the  first 
half  of  Exodus  remained  over.  At  the  same  time  the  series 
of  critical  discussions  on  Genesis  published  in  Hehraica,  Oct., 
1890,  and  subsequently,  was  continued  by  a  similar  series  in  the 
Journal  of  Biblical  Literature  (vols,  ix-xii. — 1890-1893)  on 
"  JE  in  the  middle  Books  of  the  Pentateuch."  The  surpris- 
ingly cordial  welcome  accorded  me  by  critics  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  the  excellent  account  given  by  the  publisher,  have 
suggested  a  \\&\\  volume,  independent  indeed  of  the  "  Genesis 
of  Genesis,"  but  of  similar  form  and  character,  continuing  the 
analysis  to  the  end  of  the  Pentateuch.  We  reach  thus,  with 
the  death  of  Moses,  a  convenient  stopping-place,  though  by  no 
means  the  conclusion  of  the  documents.  The  period  between 
this  event  and  the  death  of  Joseph,  includes  the  whole  Story  of 
the  Exodus  in  its  three  great  divisions,  Deliverance  from  the 
Bondage  of  Egypt,  Constitution  of  the  Nation,  and  Wandering 
in  the  Wilderness.  If  occasion  serve,  the  analysis  of  the  three 
sources  may  be  continued  throughout  the  book  of  Joshua, 
and  of  the  two  older  through  Judges  and  part  of  Samuel 
down  to  the  founding  of  the  monarchy,  under  the  title,  "  The 
'  Conquest  of  Canaan." 

For  the  present  only  the  Triple  Tradition  of  the  Exodus,  a 
three-fold  account  of  Israel's  beginnings  as  a  nation,  engages 
our  attention  ;  and  herein  is  not  included  that  mass  of  ritual  law 


vi  PREFACE. 

which  forms  the  bulk  of  the  Priests'  Code,  nor  the  code  of 
Deuteronomy.  Neither  is  susceptible  of  analysis  beyond  a 
division  into  earlier  and  later  elements  of  the  same  documents 
P\  P^,  P^,  D,  Dp,  Dh,  and  from  the  nature  of  the  material  the 
codes  are  easily  detachable  from  the  narrative.  The  present 
volume  concerns  itself  therefore  not  with  the  Law,  but  the  Story 
of  Israel  from  the  death  of  Joseph  to  the  death  of  Moses. 

Part  I.  of  "  The  Genesis  of  Genesis "  was  devoted  to 
explaining  the  nature  of  the  higher  criticism  in  its  two  branches 
of  source  analysis  and  historical  criticism,  vindicating  its  right 
in  the  field  of  sacred  literature,  and  exhibiting  its  general 
results  in  the  Hexateuch.  What  was  said  there  it  is  the  less 
needful  to  repeat,  for  the  reason  that  the  intervening  years 
have  witnessed  the  appearance  of  several  works  in  English,  ad- 
mirably presenting  these  same  results,  among  which  I  need 
here  mention  only  Canon  S.  F.  Driver's  "  Introduction  to  the 
Literature  of  the  Old  Testament,"  Scribners,  New  York,  1891, 
and  Mr.  W.  G.  Addis'  "  Documents  of  the  Hexateuch,"  Put- 
nams.  New  York,  1893. 

Neither  do  we  need  to  add  to  the  manifold  and  still 
unrefuted  refutation  of  the  Rabbinic  tradition  of  Mosaic 
authorship.  The  ground  is  cleared  ;  the  facts  are  in  evidence 
which  show  the  extrication  of  sources  in  Genesis  to  be  no  illu- 
sion nor  impossibility  ;  the  presupposition  must  now  be  that 
they  are  also  extricable  in  the  further  course  of  the  same  com- 
posite narrative.  Indeed  the  concessions  of  the  most  extreme 
defenders  of  tradition  as  to  the  earlier  portions  of  Genesis,  and 
the  more  important  admissions  of  the  school  represented  by 
Principal  Cave,  that  the  results  of  the  documentary  analysis 
are  to  be  accepted  in  the  main  up  to  Ex.  vi.,  decidedly  alter 
the  conditions  of  the  controversy.  The  burden  of  proof  hence- 
forth should  rest  upon  those  who  admit  that  the  Pentateuch  is 
analyzable  in  part,  but  wish  to  draw  the  line  at  Gen.  xii.,  or  al 
Ex.  vi.,  or  at  some  other  arbitrary  iM)int. 

This  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  supi)orters  of  tradition  to 
come  as  far  as  Astruc,  who  in  1753  gave  forth  his  theory  in  the 
title  of  his  book,  "  Coiijcctincs  sur   Ics    Af/nioirrs   orio;i/ici!ix    Jo/if 


PREFACE.  Vll 

iest  servi  Moyse  pour  composer  k  livre  de  la  Gencsi\^  is  one  reason 
for  adopting  a  somewhat  different  method  from  that  employed 
in  Genesis.  Another  and  more  weighty  reason  appears  in  the 
relative  incompleteness  of  the  science  itself  in  Exodus  and  the 
following  books.  This  is  due  to  several  causes.  Partly  it  is 
because  more  time  and  effort  have  been  spent  on  Genesis,  the 
earlier  attempts  setting  out  with  Astruc's  assumption,  that  the 
documents  were  compiled  by  Moses,  which  implied  their  limi- 
tation to  Genesis  ;  partly  because  popular  interest  has  chiefly 
attached  to  this  book.  Principally  it  is  because  the  analysis 
becomes  more  difficult  from  Ex.  iii.  onward.  Here  in  fact  one 
of  the  principal  discriminating  features  of  the  document  E  dis- 
appears, and  in  Ex.  vi.  the  same  becomes  true  of  the  document 
P.  A  phenomenon  of  Genesis,  which  was  almost  the  sole  reli- 
ance of  Astruc  for  his  analysis,  is  the  uniform  employment  of 
Yahweh  as  the  divine  name  in  one  series  of  narratives,  and  of 
Elohim,  El,  or  El  Shaddai  in  another.  Its  explanation  appears 
in  Ex.  vi.  2f.,  where  P  relates  the  revelation  to  Moses  of  the  name 
Yahweh  :  "And  God  spake  unto  Moses,  and  said  unto  him,  I 
am  Yahweh  :  and  I  appeared  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac  and 
unto  Jacob  as  El  Shaddai, /w/<^v  my  name  Yahweh  I  was  not  known 
to  them."  Of  course  then  P  did  not  use  Yahweh  in  Genesis, 
and  of  course  he  now  begins  to  use  it  as  uniformly  as  Elohim 
or  El  Shaddai  before.  The  justification  to  the  analysis  was 
invaluable,  but  it  came  at  the  cost  of  losing  the  then  most 
important  means  of  discriminating  P  from  J.  Moreover  P 
does  not  relate  this  revelation  to  Moses  on  his  own  authority. 
He  copied  both  it,  and  the  practise  it  logically  implies  as  to  the 
name  Yahweh,  from  the  story  of  E  in  Ex.  iii.  Fortunately  E  is 
less  systematic  than  P  in  his  subsequent  narrative,  and  often  al- 
lows the  name  Elohim  to  stand  in  long  passages  of  his  material. 
Wherever  this  is  not  the  case,  however,  the  clew  for  analysis 
mainly  relied  upon  in  Genesis  disappears,  as  in  P,  and  hence  the 
mere  use  of  "  Yahweh  "  no  longer  serves,  as  in  Genesis,  to  prove  a 
passage  Yahwistic  or  redactional.  This  is  not  the  only  increase 
of  difficulty.  The  taking  up  of  Deuteronony  into  the  prophetic 
history  JE  necessitated  a  revision  ;  but   this   of   course    would 


viii  PREFACE. 

scarcely  affect  the  patriarchal  narratives,  xxvi.  5  being  the 
only  clear  trace  of  Rd  in  Genesis,  whereas  the  whole  of  JE  from 
Exodus  on  has  undergone  more  or  less  systematic  revision  of 
this  character,  the  alteration  being  especially  marked  in  pas- 
sages dealing  with  legislation,  as  c.  g.  in  J's  law  of  Passover,  in 
both  J  and  E  at  the  Sinai-Horeb  chapters,  and  where,  as  in 
Joshua,  account  had  to  be  taken  of  a  new  legislation  by  which 
the  history  was  supposed  to  have  been  controlled. 

The  comparatively  backward  state  of  the  science  has  neces- 
sitated a  far  larger  proportion  of  pioneer  work  on  my  part  than 
in  the  previous  volume.  In  "The  Genesis  of  Genesis"  I  could 
content  myself  generally  with  exhibiting  the  consensus  of  critical 
opinion  as  to  the  analysis,  presenting  my  reasons  for  the  inde- 
pendent work  done  in  the  case  of  difficult  and  disputed  chapters 
in  the  series  of  articles  on  "  Pentateuchal  Analysis  "  published 
in  Hebraica  VII.  i  (Oct.  1890) — x.  In  the  present  volume  I  am 
obliged  to  take  the  attitude  of  an  independent  critic.  The 
separation  of  P  throughout  from  JE  is  now  indeed  a  matter  of 
general  agreement  among  critics  ;  but  the  analysis  of  JE  is 
quite  otherwise.  Its  present  relative  incompleteness  is  well 
illustrated  in  the  work  of  Addis  above  referred  to,  in  which  the 
distinction  of  type  between  J  and  E  is  carried  to  the  end  of 
Genesis,  but  employed  after  Ex.  i.  only  in  those  portions  of  JE 
where  the  strands  are  traceable  with  exceptional  clearness.  As 
to  the  early  chh.  of  Exodus,  Kuenen  says  ("  Hexateuch  "  g  8,  n. 
11)  :  "In  Ex.  iii.  i6-xii.  we  may  find  abundant  points  of  sup- 
port for  a  critical  analysis  ;  but  here  we  cannot  separate  two 
distinct  documents,  as  we  have  done  in  Jacob's  biography  and 
elsewhere,  and  assign  its  share  to  each  with  confidence.  The 
most  we  can  hope  for  is  to  determine  whether  it  is  E  or  J  that 
lies  at  the  basis  of  the  narrative,  and  sometimes  even  this  is 
doubtful.  ...  It  ai)i:)ears  that  in  Ex.  i.  sqcj.  the  simple  inter- 
weaving of  the  authorities  with  the  retention  of  the  special 
characteristics  of  each  gave  way  to  their  free  use,  -^.w^  their 
intimate  blending  and  recasting."  VVellhausen  advises  relin- 
quishment of  the  attempt  at  precise  analysis  of  most  of  the 
Plague  narratives,  declares  that   JE  is  more  correctly  to  be  re- 


PREFACE.  IX 

garded  as  the  author  (Verfasser)  of  the  Horeb-Sinai  section  than 
mere  compiler  (Redaktor)  [Comp.,  Berlin,  1889,  pp.  69  and  97), 
and  has  perhaps  not  wholly  withdrawn  his  theory  of  a  "  second 
source  of  JE  "  in  Numbers.*  The  French  critic  Bruston,  im- 
itates the  example  of  Wellhausen  by  assuming  a  fourth  source 
as  a  solution  of  the  difficulties,  the  deus  ex  machiiia  this  time 
being  a  "  second  Jehoviste."  It  has  been  my  effort  to  show 
that  no  such  "  Htilfshypothesen  "  are  necessary.  JE  does  not 
change  his  method,  nor  is  there  a  new  source  introduced.  The 
sources  are  J,  E  and  P,  precisely  as  in  Genesis,  and  combined 
in  the  same  way.  What  is  required  is  not  unfounded  assump- 
tions to  explain  our  comparative  inability  to  analyze,  but  more 
care,  more  patience,  more  determination  to  be  guided  not  by 
preconceptions  but  by  phenomena.  It  will  be  seen,  however, 
from  the  above,  that  the  problem  was  by  no  means  the  same  as 
in  Genesis,  and  different  conditions  have  made  necessary  a  dif- 
ference in  method  of  treatment. 

To  adapt  the  present  volume  to  the  new  conditions  imposed 
by  the  altered  problem  and  somewhat  altered  circle  of  readers 
to  which  it  is  addressed,  it  has  seemed  best  to  put  in  place  of 
the  general  Introduction  of  "  The  Genesis  of  Genesis  "  a  series 
of  briefer  Introductions  prefixed  to  each  subdivision  of  the 
narrative,  the  Prolegomena  before  each  §  setting  forth  to  the 
reader  in  large  type  the  general  distinguishing  features  of  each 
document  P,  E,  J,  as  they  appear  in  that  section,  an  Analysis  in 
smaller  type  before  each  subsection  discussing  the  phenomena 
of  the  text  as  it  stands,  and  stating  as  briefly  as  possible  the 
bulk  of  the  evidence  for  its  composite  structure,  together  with 
the  grounds  of  analysis,  and  theory  of  compilation.  In  addi- 
tion a  few  pages  at  the  beginning  of  the  Prolegomena  to  §  §  i., 
V.  and  vii.,  are  devoted  to  something  more  in  the  nature  of  his- 
torical criticism,  discussing  the  history  and  significance  of  the 
tradition  itself.  A  brief  general  Introduction  sums  up  the  data 
of  the  Prolegomena  and  presents  the  bearing  of  the  facts 
derived  from  the  study  of  the  documents  in  Exodus^  Numbers 
and  Deuteronomy  upon  the  Documentary  Theory  as  a  whole. 

*Cf.  Wellhausen's  Conip.,  p.  102  with  the  Nachtnii^  in  the  same  volume,  p. 
339,  in  reply  to  Kiienen's  criticism. 


X  PREFACE. 

It  may  also  be  noticed,  that  no  such  systematic  attempt  has 
been  made  in  the  present  volume  as  in  "  The  Genesis  of  Gene- 
sis "  to  distinguish  between  J'  and  J'^,  E^  and  E-.  This  is  not 
because  of  any  doubt  in  my  mind  that  such  strata  exist  ;  for  of 
this  I  am  much  more  firmly  convinced  than  before  my  study  of 
the  later  historical  books  was  completed.  My  conclusions  are 
presented  in  the  Introduction  following.  It  seems  to  me,  how- 
ever, that  the  introduction  of  such  questions  should  properly 
await  a  more  advanced  condition  of  the  analysis. 

Certain  minor  improvements  have  been  attempted  upon  the 
former  work  as  e.  g.  the  entire  abandonment  of  Hebrew  type 
in  favor  of  transliteration  where  needful  ;  the  adoption  (except 
as   to    P^   =    H>,  of  Cornill's  nomenclature  ;   the    use    of  '  ' 

for  characteristic  expressions  of  J,  E  and  P  in  Part  II., 
and  the  abandonment  of  the  attempt  to  reproduce  in  English 
anything  of  the  rhythm  of  Hebrew  verse.  If  that  part 
devoted  to  reconstruction  of  the  documents  is  thus  improved  in 
any  degree,  it  will  be  the  better  able  to  bear  the  loss  of  Prof. 
G.  F.  Moore's  kindly,  correcting  hand  in  the  translation. 
Faults  and  mistakes  due  to  my  deficiencies  as  a  linguist  will 
doubtless  appear,  but  in  all  essentials  1  am  fortified  by  the 
authority  of  such  scholars  as  Dillmann  and  Kautzsch.  In  ad- 
dition I  must  acknowledge  my  great  indebtedness  to  Budde's 
admirable  articles  on  the  legislative  parts  of  JE,  besides  his 
personal  kindnesses,  and  to  C.  H.  Cornill's  Einleituttg  in  das  Altc 
Testament,  2  Aiifl.  Freiburg  i.  B.  1892.  Other  standard  works 
will  be  found  referred  to  in  the  body  of  the  work.* 

In  conclusion  let  me  urge  the  general  reader  to  remember 
that  while  the  devotional  and  scientific  treatment  of  the  Bible 
are  widely  different,  they  are  neither  incompatible  nor  inde- 
pendent. For  the  very  reason  that  devotional  exposition 
w/w/ take  as  its  point  of  departure  some  act'ount  of  its  docu- 
mentary data,  either  scientific  or  assumed  to  be  sucli,  it  luis  a 
natural  inclination  to  conservatism,  an  impatience  of  criticism 
and  change,  and  a  disinclination  to  reailjust  itself  to  a  new 
basis.      Sometimes    it    undertakes    to  decree  :   "  La  Republicpie 

*Wilclel)nei"s  I.rltt'rkundc  dcs  Oiidcii  Vri/wi'n/x,  Groningen  1893,86111  me  by 
the  aiitlior's  Uindiicss,  arrives,  unfortunately,  too  late  for  present  use. 


PREFACE.  XI 

n'a  pas  besoin  de  savants,"  and  then  its  folly  soon  becomes 
manifest  in  its  own  destruction.  In  the  nature  of  the  case  there 
is  nothing  but  indolence  and  timidity  of  mind  to  prevent  as  ex- 
cellent a  structure  of  devotional  thought  and  edifying  exposition 
being  reared  upon  the  critical  conclusions  of  modern  special- 
ists as  upon  the  fantastic  legends  of  those  rabbis  of  whom 
Jesus  said,  "  They  have  made  the  Scripture  of  none  effect  by 
their  traditions."  Practically  a  dispassionate  examination  of 
the  results  will  show  that  the  former  basis  gives  vastly  larger 
and  more  excellent  opportunity  to  set  forth  the  God  and 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  He  is  revealed  in  this  his- 
tory of  histories,  and  is  far  more  consistent  with  Christian 
ideas,  than  the  latter.  The  edifice  reared  upon  it  has  the 
additional  advantage  of  being  founded  upon  tested  and  proved 
rather  than  untested  material.  The  present  work  is  not  in- 
tended primarily  for  devotional  reading,  but  it  endeavors  to  do 
its  part  in  substituting  for  the  crumbling  foundations  of  Rab- 
binic tradition,  which  have  thus  far  been  almost  the  sole  reli- 
ance of  Christian  scholars  in  formulating  their  doctrine  of 
Sacred  Scripture,  an  "  impregnable  rock  "  of  that  true  and 
divine  science  of  biblical  theology  whose  motto  is,  "  The  Truth 
without  fear  or  favor," 

We  stand  to-day,  as  Paul  stood,  between  two  opposing  cur- 
rents of  religious  thought,  both  earnest  and  both  devout  : 
"  Jews  "  that  require  a  sign,  and  "  Greeks  "  that  seek  after  wis- 
dom. Whatever  tends  to  minimize  the  miraculous  by  seeking 
the  manifestion  of  God  in  the  normal  rather  than  the  abnormal, 
is  to  the  "  Jew,"  "  destructive  criticism."  The  "  Greek  "  is  too 
apt  to  linger  amid  the  lotus  flowers  of  sweet  reasonableness.  The 
present  work  is"  destructive  "  of  nothing  but  that  which  stands 
in  the  way  of  better,  and  which  would  not  be  destructible  if  it 
were  not  worthless.  It  is  "  constructive,"  at  least  in  purpose, 
of  a  Bible  which  by  the  illuminating  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit  will 
be  more  truly  than  ever  a  manifestation  "  to  Jew  and  Greek  " 
of  both  "the  power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God." 

Benjamin  Wisner  Bacon. 

Parsonage,  Oswego,  N.   V.,  December,  iSgj. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Pages 
Preface       .  .  .  .  .  .  .       v-xi 

Introduction  .....     xvii-lviii 


PART  FIRST.     TEXT  ANALYSIS. 

§  I.  Prolegomena. — The  primitive  story   of  the 

Exodus  ;    P,  E  and  J    in  the  Story  of    the 

House  of  Bondage.          .             .             .  i-6 

1.  Analysis  and  text  of  Ex.  i-ii    .  6-14 

2.  "            "       "      "     "  iii-iv         .  15-27 

3.  "            "       "      "     "  v-vii,  7  28-35 

§  II.        Prolegomena. — P,  E  and    J    in  the  Plague 

Stories,           ....  35-3^ 

1.  Analysis  and  text  of  Ex.  vii,  8-ix,  12  39-47 

2.  "           "        "      "     "    ix,  13-xi,  10  48-57 

3.  "            "        "      "     "    xii-xiii,  16  57-66 

§  III.      Prolegomena. — P,  E  and    J  from  Egypt  to 

Sinai,          .....  66-71 

I.  Analysis  and  text  of  Ex.  xiii  17-xv,  21  71-80 


,V  CONTENTS. 

Pages 

2.  Analysis  and  text  of  Ex.  xv,  22-xvii,  7        80-92 

3.  "  "       ''     "      "     xvii,  8-xix  92-103 

§  IV.       Prolegomena. —  P,  E  and  J    in  the  Story  of 

tlie  Sinaitic  Legislation,  .  .  104-110 

1.  Analysis  and  text  of  Ex.  xx-xxiii  1 10-126 

2.  "  "        "      "     "     xxiv-xxxii       127-138 

3.  "  "        "      "     "     xxxiiif.  139-158 

§  V.  Prolegomena. — The  primitive  tradition  of 
"  In  the  Wilderness."  P,  E  and  J  from 
Sinai  to  Kadesh,   ....        159-167 

1.  Analysis  and  text  of  Num.  x-xii  167-176 

2.  "  "        "      "        "    xiiif.  177-189 

3.  "  "        "      "       "    xvif.,  XX,  I- 

13  ....  190-204 

§  VI.       Prolegomena. — P,  E  and    J  from    Kadesh 

to  the  Jordan.        ....       204-207 

1.  Analysis  and  text  of  Num.  XX,  14-xxii 

I    .  .  .  .  .  207-217 

2.  "  "        "       "       "   xxii-xxiv         218-232 

3.  "  "        "       "       "   XXV,  xxvii 

xxxiif.    '  .  ...        232-246 

§  VII.  Prolegomena, — I'he  primitive  Covenant  in 
the  plains  of  Moab.  P,  E  and  j  in  the 
"Words  of  Moses  "     .  .  .  247-255 

1.  Analysis  and  text  of  Deut.  i,  2         .        255-265 

2.  "  "       "       "        "  .  265-268 

3.  "  "       "       "       "      .  .        269-278 


CONTENTS.  XV 

PART  II.     SOURCES  RECONSTRUCTED. 

Pages 
The  Judean  Narrative  J     .  .  .  .  281-317 

The  Ephraimite  Prophetic  History  E  .  .       319-357 

The  Priestly  Law-book  P'^  ...  359-3^2 


INTRODUCTION. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Our  study  of  the  Book  of  Genesis  showed  it  to  be,  like  all  the 
historical  books  of  the  Bible,  and  like  Oriental  histories  gener- 
ally, a  compilation.  The  fact  is  now  generally  conceded  that 
the  documents  underlying  it  admit  to  a  greater  or  less  extent 
of  extrication,  though  advocates  of  the  traditional  authorship 
necessarily  limit  the  documents  to  a  period  earlier  than  Moses. 
It  is  our  purpose  to  test  the  validity  of  this  limitation,  and,  if 
the  documentary  analysis  be  found  practicable  in  the  later 
books,  and  the  traditional  account  of  authorship  thus  becomes 
untenable,  to  derive  from  the  documents  themselves  an  induc- 
tive theory  of  their  origin,  purpose,  character,  and  relation  to 
the  progress   of  religious  thought,  /.  e.  of  divine  revelation. 

A  review  of  the  three  documents  found  to  underlie  the  Book 
of  Genesis,  J,  E,  and  P,  reveals  a  very  strong  presumption  in 
each  case  that  they  were  continued  at  least  to  include  the  story 
of  the  conquest  of  Canaan.  The  document  P,  known  as  the 
Priestly  Law-book,  and  generally  assigned  by  critics  to  the 
fifth  century  B.  C.,  is  made  up  in  Genesis  of  ten  toledoth  (ap- 
proximately =  "  genealogies  "),  generally  mere  pedigrees,  or 
tables  of  statistics  of  births,  marriages  and  deaths,  of  the  stock 
of  Israel  from  Adam  to  Joseph.  These  extend  to  the  collateral 
branches  and  follow  an  exact  chronology  (necessarily  artificial) 
beginning  from  the  Creation,  of  which  the  very  days  of  the 
week  are  specified.  At  intervals  this  slender  stream  widens 
out  to  a  broad  pool,  when  the  writer  proceeds  to  give  in 
incredibly  minute  detail  the  origin  of  Israels  religious  institutions, 
among  which  the  divine  covenant  to  give  them  the  land  of 
Canaan  occupies  perhaps  the  foremost  position.  Thus  the 
"  Genealogy  of  the  Heavens  and  the  Earth  "  employs  the  story 
of  Creation  to  trace  to  it  the  divine  origin  of  the   Sabbath ;  a 


xviil  INTRODUCTION. 

pedigree  of  ten  generations  introduces  the  "  Genealogy  of 
Noah,"  which  employs  a  version  of  the  Flood-story  to  trace  the 
origin  of  the  Noachic  covenant  and  law  of  blood-shed  and 
meats  ;  a  second  ten-linked  pedigree  introduces  the  "  Gen- 
ealogy of  Terah,"  father  of  Abraham,  signalized  by  the  revela- 
tion of  the  name  El-Shaddai,  covenant  of  the  Land  to 
Abraham's  seed,  and  institution  of  circumcision,  ch.  xvii.,  and 
by  the  acquisition  of  the  first  foothold  in  Canaan,  the  Cave  of 
Machpelah,  ch.  xxiii.  The  subsequent  genealogies  only  depart 
from  the  tabular  form  to  record  briefly  how  Jacob  was  sent  by 
his  parents  to  Mesopotamia  to  secure  a  wife  of  Abrahamic  stock, 
unlike  the  Canaanite  wives  of  Esau  ;  how  God  reiterated  the 
covenant  of  the  land  to  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  how  Joseph,  hav- 
ing become  governor  of  Egypt,  brought  his  father  and  brethren 
thither  with  all  their  great  wealth.  P's  story  of  the  patriarchal 
age  concludes  with  the  blessing  of  the  dying  Israel,  who 
charges  his  sons  to  bury  him  in  the  Cave  of  Machpelah  with 
his  fathers,  and  tells  Joseph  particularly,  in  blessing  his  sons 
as  separate  tribes,  how  El-Shaddai  reiterated  to  him  at  Luz  the 
blessing  of  Abraham  and  the  covenant  of  the  land,  saying : 
"  Behold  I  will  make  thee  fruitful  and  multiply  thee,  and  will 
make  of  thee  a  company  of  peoples  ;  and  will  give  this  land  to 
thy  seed  for  an  everlasting  possession."  We  are  thus  left  look- 
ing forward  for  the  redemption  of  this  promise,  and  for  the 
sequel  to  this  beginning  of  an  account  of  Israel's  religious  in- 
stitutions. 

It  is  conceivable  that  the  narrative  stopped  short  at  this 
point.  But  in  point  of  fact  we  find  the  story  proceeding  with- 
out a  gap,  first  a  table  of  the  sons  of  Israel  in  Egypt,  in  the 
,  same  peculiar  style  as  heretofore,  then,  after  a  brief  statement 
of  the  Egyptian  oppression,  a  "  Genealogy  of  the  sons  of  Levi  " 
introducing  Aaron  and  Moses,  and  relating  how  : 

"God  spake  unto  Moses  and  said  unto  him,  I  am  Yahwkh,  and  I  appeared 
unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac  and  unto  Jacob  as  El  Shaddai,  but  by  my  name 
Yahweh,  I  was  not  known  to  them.  Hut  I  established  my  covenant  with  them 
to  give  them  the  land  of  Canaan  .  .  .  and  I  have  heard  the  groaning  of  the 
children  of  Israel  whom  the  Egyptians  keep  in  bondage;  and  I   have  remem- 


INTRODUCTION.  xix 

bered  my  covenant.  .  .  I  will  rid  you  out  of  their  bondage  .  .  .and  will 
bring  you  in  unto  the  land  concerning  which  I  lifted  up  my  hand  to  give  it  to 
Abraham,  to  Isaac  and  to  Jacob,  and  I  will  give  it  you  for  an  heritage ;  I  am 
Yahweh." 

The  narrative  then  proceeds  to  relate  the  carrying  out  of  this 
promise.  Under  the  same  rigid  chronological  and  genealogical 
system  we  are  told  the  story  of  the  Plagues  and  Exodus,  which 
serves  to  introduce  the  law  of  the  Passover  and  Feast  of  Mazzoth. 
After  a  brief  account  of  the  miraculous  passage  of  the  Red  Sea 
a  table  of  wilderness  stations  begins,  as  a  supplement  for  the 
genealogical  chain,  and  carries  on  the  chronology.  On  the  fif- 
teenth day  of  the  third  month  (the  sacred  calendar  has  been 
enacted  in  connection  with  the  Passover  legislation)  Israel 
comes  to  Sinai.  Here  is  placed  the  revelation  of  the  entire  Priestly 
Law  and  the  origin  of  all  Israels  religious  institutions  connected 
with  sacrifice,  the  priesthood,  and  the  sanctuary.  After  an  elaborate 
census  of  the  people  the  journey  is  resumed  "  in  the  second  year, 
in  the  second  month,  on  the  twentieth  day  of  the  month,"  a 
brief  account  of  the  manna  signalizing  the  march  to  the  wilder- 
ness of  Paran.  A  version  of  the  spying  out  the  land  and  mur- 
muring of  the  people  leads  to  the  40  years'  wandering,  to 
which  attach,  besides  the  incidents  of  the  rebellion  of  Moses 
and  Aaron  at  the  rock  of  Meribah  and  the  death  of  Aaron, 
only  the  story  of  the  origin  of  the  priestly  castes  (rod  of 
Aaron),  and  a  brief  allusion  to  the  plot  of  Balaam.  Yahweh 
covenants  the  priesthood  to  the  house  of  Phinehas.  Then  a 
new  census  is  taken,  preparatory  to  the  distribution  of  the 
inheritances,  accompanied  by  minute  regulations  of  land-tenure. 
Moses  gives  to  Reuben  and  Gad  the  land  of  Gilead,  taken  from 
Midian,  and  dies,  committing  his  trust  to  Joshua.  A  few 
words  tell  how  the  latter  sweeps  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  the 
final  chapters  of  Joshua  relate  the  allotnwnt  of  the  promised  land 
/6' //i)? //'//^^-j-,  minutely  describing  the  boundaries  "according  to 
their  inheritances." 

Were  it  possible  to  enumerate  here  the  extraordinary  pecul- 
iarities of  style  and  language  in  which  all  the  latter  j)art  of 
this  narrative  minutely  agrees  with  the  story  of  (xenesis,  which 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

it  thus  brings  to  its  expected  conclusion,  it  is  hard  to  believe 
that  any  competent  or  candid  mind  could  reject  the  overwhelm- 
ing probability  that  we  have  here  not  two  separate  writers,  one 
beginning  where  the  other  left  off,  referring  constantly  to  his 
predecessor,  using  identically  the  same  style  and  language,  sys- 
tem, purpose,  material,  and  occupying  the  same  standpoint ;  but 
one  and  the  same  hand.  But  even  apart  from  these  important 
criteria  it  is  safe  to  leave  the  question  of  the  continued  identity 
of  the  document  distinguished  as  P^  in  Genesis  to  simple  pe- 
rusal of  the  sequel  herewith  afforded  to  the  source  as  extricated 
in  Genesis.  Whether  this  document  stands  alone  in  Exodus — 
Joshua,  or  whether,  as  in  Genesis,  it  has  been  more  or  less 
incongruously  associated  with  other  material  will  appear  in  the 
process  of  analysis. 

There  is  no  indication  in  this  document  P  that  its  purpose 
is  not  fully  attained  and  its  subject  matter  exhausted  with  the 
establishment  of  Israel  in  the  Land  of  Promise  "  according  to 
their  inheritances,"  and  in  full  possession  of  all  their  peculiar 
institutions.  Neither  is  there  the  least  trace  in  the  books  of 
Judges,  Kings  and  Samuel  of  any  further  fragments.  The 
story  of  these  books  is  indeed  rewritten  in  the  priestly  sense  in 
a  later  work,  which  in  many  respects  has  a  striking  resem- 
blance to  P,  viz.,  the  Book  of  Chronicles — Ezra — Nehemiah, 
But  the  compiler  of  this  work  makes  a  new  beginning  with 
"  Adam,  Seth.  l^nosh,  Kenan,  Mahalalel,  Jared,  Enoch,  Methu- 
selah," etc.,  and  is  clearly  independent  of  P,  though  controlled 
by  his  ideas.  There  is,  in  short,  every  reason  to  believe  that 
P,  as  analyzed  from  Genesis  to  Joshua,  is  a  comj-jlete  work 
from  which  scarcely  anything  is  missing.  As  extricated  by 
practical  consensus  of  criticism  it  could,  therefore,  be  already 
characterized  to  some  extent,  in  "the  Genesis  of  Genesis" 
(p.  55ff.),  though  we  may  have  somewhat  to  adtl  in  our  present 
discussion  of  the  documents,  as  their  individuality  emerges  upon 
further  analysis. 

The  .Analyses  prefixed  to  each  subsection  of  the  present  volume 
aim  to  show  that  the  internal  discrepancies  of  Genesis  continue 
to  appear  throughout  Exodus,  a  considerable  part  of  Numbers, 


INTRODUCTION.  xxi 

and  a  smaller  part  of  Deuteronomy.  Hereafter  there  may  he 
occasion  to  show  that  the  same  is  true  of  Joshua.  Are  then 
these  stories  of  the  Exodus,  with  which  the  Priestly  Lawbook  has 
been  filled  in,  a  continuation  of  the  documents  J  and  E  already 
extricated  in  Genesis,  and  which  in  their  combined  form,  JE, 
served  as  source  to  P  ?  To  answer  this  question  we  must 
apply  the  same  tests  as  applied  just  now  to  P. 

The  analysis  of  Genesis  gave  a  document  known  to  critics  as 
E,  attributed  by  all  to  the  Ephraimite  monarchy.  This  work 
seems  to  begin  with  the  career  of  Abraham  as  a  "  prophet  " 
(Gen.  XX.  7)  called  by  God  out  of  the  midst  of  a  heathen  ances- 
try to  the  "  land  of  the  Amorite,"  which  God  promises  to  his 
descendants  when,  after  four  generations  of  oppression  "  in  a 
land  that  is  not  theirs,"  they  should  come  thither  again,  and 
"■  the  iniquity  of  the  Amorite  should  be  full."  A  few  stories  of 
Abraham's  relations  with  the  Philistines,  duplicating  those 
related  by  J  of  Isaac,  explain  in  E  the  origin  and  names  of  the 
sacred  wells  of  the  Negeb  ;  while  one  regarding  Hagar  and 
Ishmael  and  the  birth  of  Isaac,  likewise  a  duplicate,  plays  upon 
these  names.  The  story  of  Abraham  has  here  in  addition  only 
a  single,  characteristic,  concluding  narrative,  peculiar  to  this 
source.  It  relates  how  "  God /r(?7'^^/  Abraham  "  by  command- 
ing the  sacrifice  of  Isaac,  who  thus  appears  only  in  his  boy- 
hood and  on  his  death-bed.  Isaac's  sons  quarrel,  but  Jacob, 
fleeing,  receives  a  divine  revelation  at  Bethel  and  vows  service 
to  the  God  of  this  place,  who  becomes  his  protector  in  exile  and 
gives  him  children  and  wealth.  On  his  return  he  founds  the 
shrines  of  Ramoth-Gilead,  Mahanaim,  Peniel  and  the  '  pillar  ' 
and  altar  by  Shechem.  At  Shechem  he  places  a  parallel  to  P's 
story  of  the  Cave  of  Machpelah.  For  100  kesitahs  of  silver 
Jacob  buys  a  parcel  of  ground  at  the  hand  of  the  children  of 
Hamor,  the  father  of  Shechem,  but  subsequently  takes  the  city 
"  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Amorite,  with  his  sword  and  with  his 
bow."  His  heathen  wives  '' put  away  their  strange  gods"  under 
the  oak  at  Shechem,  and  Jacob  builds  the  altar  at  Bethel,  con- 
secrates the  oak  of  Allon-bacuth,  and  erects  the  Pillar  of 
Rachel's  grave. 


xxii  INTRODUCriON. 

The  career  of  Joseph  concludes  the  patriarchal  epoch. 
"  Joseph  as  a  lad  was  feeding  the  flock  with  his  brethren."  His 
prophetic  dreams  excite  the  envy  of  his  brethren,  but  when 
they  have  cast  him  in  a  pit  and  a  kidnapping  band  of  Midian- 
ites  sell  him  a  slave  in  Egypt  X.\\'\&  prophetic  power  exalts  him  to 
the  highest  place  under  Pharaoh,  Joseph  sends  for  his  father 
and  brethren  to  share  his  prosperity  ;  the  dying. Jacob  blesses 
Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  and  bestows  Shechem  as  a  special  gift 
"above  his  brethren  "  upon  Joseph  ;  then  after  the  patriarch's 
death  Joseph  forgives  liis  brethren^  explaining  to  them  the 
providence  of  Ood.  At  great  length  and  in  most  attractive 
colors  the  career  of  this  "  master  of  dreams  "  is  depicted  to  the 
<tx\i\.  The  story  concludes  with  a  repetition  of  the  prophetic 
vision  of  Abraham: 

"And  Joseph  said  unto  his  bretiiien,  I  die:  but  (lod  will  surely  visit  you, 
and  bring  you  up  out  of  this  land  unto  the  land  which  he  sware  to  Abraham,  to 
Isaac  and  to  Jacol).  Ami  Joseph  took  an  oath  of  the  children  of  Israel,  say- 
ing, Ciod  will  surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry  up  my  bones  from  lience." 

Again,  as  in  \\  it  is  conceivable  liiat  the  author  of  this  doc- 
ument did  not  live  to  see  the  fulfilment  of  the  predicted  events, 
but  simply  recorded  what  had  been  revealed  to  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob  as  one  miraculously  guided  to  select  just  that 
which  comes  to  subsequent  fulfilment.  Hut  it  is  very  surpris- 
ing that  a  subsequent  historian  in  relating  the  fulfilment  of  what 
E  looks  forward  to,  should  employ  the  style,  language  and  all 
other  peculiarities  of  E,  even  where  telling  his  own  story,  so 
that  n(Mie  could  tell  from  the  narrative,  where  one  ends  ami  his 
successor  begins;  whereas  in  giving  us  the  sequel  to  the  Priestly 
Lawbook  of  (ienesis  his  style  should  be  indistinguishable  from 
tliat  of  this  radically  different  document.  It  is  conceivable 
that  tliere  was  no  sequel  to  the  account  of  tlie  promise  to 
Abraham,  the  bequest  of  Jacob,  or  the  oath  of  Joseph.  lUit  in 
point  of  fact,  reading  right  on  in  the  composite  narrative  of 
Exodus,  we  find  an  uninterrupted  secjuel  to  this  story,  charac- 
terized by  the  same  style  and  expressions  and  the  same  pecul- 
iar use  of  "Cod  "for  ^'ahweh.  I'roni  the  carrrr  of  Josrph  \X. 
passes  at  once  to  the  ,w/vvv  <;/  JAw.v.      His  birth   and   i)oviiood 


INTRODUCTION.  xxiii 

are  painted  in  the  same  sympathetic  colors  as  the  youth  of 
Isaac  and  Joseph,  and  serve  to  illustrate  the  depth  of  humilia- 
tion to  which  Israel  had  fallen  in  Egypt  after  the  death  of 
Joseph.  The  youthful  Moses  performs  an  exploit  of  valor  in 
favor  of  his  enslaved  countrymen,  but,  repelled  by  them,  flees 
to  Midian  and  marries  there.  God  reveals  himself  to  him  from 
"  Horeb  the  mount  of  God."  Then  follows  the  explanation,  so 
closely  paralleled  in  P,  of  the  peculiar  use  of  Elohim  as  the 
divine  name,  a  practice  of  E  hitherto  unexplained.  As  P  in 
Ex.  vi.  2  makes  clear  the  reason  why  previously  in  that 
document,  Elohim,  or  El  Shaddai,  is  used  to  the  exclusion 
of  Yahweh,  but  thereafter  uniformly  Yahweh,  so  in  almost 
identical  terms  in  Ex.  lii.  we  read  the  original,  both  of 
P's  story  and  his  practise.  Thereafter  Moses  and  Aaron  his 
brother  are  sent  to  demand  from  Pharaoh  release  for  Israel, 
and  Moses  receives  a  wonder-working  rod,  whereby  after  inflict- 
ing five  plagues  upon  Egypt  the  Red  Sea  is  divided  and  Israel 
passes  through,  while  Pharaoh  and  his  host  are  overwhelmed. 
E  has  thus  far  no  legislation.  Even  the  institution  of  the  Pass- 
over is  not  so  much  as  mentioned.  But  t\\Q  prophecy  of  Joseph 
is  not  forgotten.  The  Exodus  is  related  in  terms  whose  sig- 
nificance points  both  forward  and  backward  : 

"  Now  when  Pharaoh  had  let  the  people  go  .  .  .  God  led  the  people  about 
by  the  wa)'  of  the  wilderness  by  the  Red  Sea  .  .  .  And  Moses  took  the  bones 
of  Joseph  with  him  ;  for  he  had  straitly  sworn  the  children  of  Israel,  saying, 
God  will  surely  visit  you  ;  and  ye  shall  carry  up  my  bones  away  hence  with 
you." 

After  "  Miriam  the  prophetess  "  has  sung  their  deliverance  at 
the  Red  Sea,  the  ^^ proving  "  of  Israel  begins  at  Massah  with  the 
gift  of  manna,  and  the  gift  of  water  brought  from  the  rock  by 
Moses'  rod  at  Meribah.  Here  at  Horeb  "  God  comes  to 
prove  "  them,  pronouncing  in  voice  of  thunder  the  moral  law 
as  summed  up  in  the  Ten  Commandments.  These  he  writes  with 
his  own  finger  upon  the  tables  of  stone.  The  career  of  Joshua 
begins  here  ;  for  now  as  a  youth  he  serves  Moses,  as  later  Sam- 
uel does  for  Eli,  and  ascends  with  him  to  the  presence  of  God. 
Israel,  entrusted  to  the  care  of  Aaron  falls  into  idolatry,  but  after 


xxiv  INTKODLCTION. 

chastisement  repents.  Now,  in  place  of  the  Covenant  of  the 
Ten  Words,  the  record  of  which  was  shattered  by  Moses,  a  rit- 
ual coreiiant  is  enacted,  and  a  portable  sanctuary  prepared. 
The  youthful  Joshua  becomes  its  hierophant.  Israel  is  dis- 
missed under  guidance  of  God's  angel.  At  the  instance  of 
Jethro  a  <-/777r^rj,'-<////s<j'//^// is  also  effected,  and,  on  Moses'  peti- 
tion, Ciod  takes  of  the  j,///-// <//'>'v'/>//(rr  which  was  upon  him, 
anil  pours  it  upon  70  elders  ;  but  Moses'  prophetic  preeminence 
is  vindicated  even  against  Aaron  and  Miriam,  and  later  his 
civil  supremacy  against  Dathan  and  Abiram.  Arrived  at  Ka- 
desh  the  people  are  discouraged  at  the  report  of  twelve  men 
sent  to  reconnoitre  the  land  ;  they  murmur,  and  repent  again, 
but  incur  disaster  at  Hormah  through  presumption.  Forty 
years  pass  by  in  the  steppes  of  Kadesh,  where  Miriam  dies. 
They  endeavor  to  reach  the  country  east  of  Jordan,  but  are 
refused  passage  by  Edom  and  Moab,  make  the  circuit,  fight 
with  Sihon  the  Amorite,  and  occupy  his  land.  Balaam,  called 
to  curse  Israel,  blesses.  Reuben  and  Gad  receive  the  land  of 
Sihon.  At  Shittim  by  Jordan  Moses  gives  his  farewell  admoni- 
tions to  all  Israel,  delivers  the  civil  law  given  him  at  Horeb  to 
the  elders,  to  be  solemnly  enacted  by  covenant  at  Mount  Ehal 
and  inscribed  on  great  stones  ;  then,  after  receiving  a  charge 
for  Joshua  as  his  successor,  he  dies,  and  is  l)uried  in  Moab. 
No  such  prophet  has  since  appeared  in  Israel. 

The  career  of  Joshua  is  taken  up  without  interruption  (Jos.  i. 
if.  lof.)  and  includes  all  the  story  of  the  conquest.  A  miracu- 
lous passage  of  the  Jordan  gives  access  to  Jericho,  whose  walls 
fall  before  the  invaders.  The  sin  of  Achan,  the  Judean,  brings 
a  reverse  at  Ai,  i)ut  is  expiated,  and  the  capture  of  Ai  and 
Bethel  opens  up  the  heart  of  llu'  country.  At  Mount  Ebal 
Joshua  enacts  the  law  of  Mosrs  as  dircctLHl.  The  battle  of 
Gibeon  against  a  coalition  of  tlu-  south  Amorite  kings  leads 
Joshua  to  the  rai)id  coiKjuest  of  all  southern  Palestine  ;  the 
defeat  of  a  similar  coalition  under  Jahin,  king  of  Hazor, 
secures  him  all  the  north.  The  eoncpiest  complete,  Joshua 
assembles  all  Israel  "  at  Sliechem,"  recapitulates  the  story  of 
the  divine  dealings  as  rrlateJ  in  thr  ilocumciit  E  from  the  call   of 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

Abraham  down,  pledges  Israel  to  "  put  away  the  strange  gods  " 
and  serve  Yahweh  only,  prophesying  prosperity  in  case  of 
obedience  and  calamity  otherwise,  and  erects  a  "  great  stone  " 
under  the  oak  in  the  sanctuary  for  a  witness.  The  story  then 
relates  the  death  and  burial  of  Joshua,  adding  that  during  the 
lifetime  of  Joshua  and  the  men  of  that  generation  Israel  was 
faithful  to  the  pledge,  and  concludes  with  a  passage  whose 
terms  and  allusions  we  shall  recognize  : 

"  And  the  bones  of  Joseph  which  the  children  of  Israel  brought  up  out  of 
Egypt,  buried  they  in  Shcckem,  in  the  parcel  of  ground  which  Jacob  hought  of 
the  sons  of  Hamor  the  father  of  Shechem  for  loo  kesitahs  of  money  :  so  they 
became  the  inheritance  of  the  children  of  Joseph." 

Once  more,  it  is  conceivable  that  not  only  Moses  took  pains 
to  supply  the  sequel  to  all  the  unfinished  data  of  a  document 
employed  by  him  for  the  patriarchal  period,  using  the  same 
style  and  vocabulary,  but  that  Joshua,  or  some  still  later  writer, 
continued  the  practise  after  Moses'  death,  and  still  another 
after  Joshua's  death.  But  can  such  an  assumption  stand  for 
one  moment  before  the  probability  that  a  narrative  thus  inter- 
connected in  its  several  parts  at  the  same  time  that  it  often 
disagrees  with  the  adjoining  material,  is  a  single  unbroken 
work  ? 

But  while  the  document  P  reaches  an  appropriate  conclusion 
with  the  occupation  of  Canaan,  it  is  far  otherwise  with  E,  the 
document  we  are  now  following.  Not  only  is  there  as  yet  no 
completeness  to  the  author's  purpose,  but  the  same  signs  which 
indicated  in  Genesis  that  more  was  to  follow,  are  present  here 
at  the  close  of  Joshua  ;  and  as  those  were  corroborated  by 
unmistakable  fragments  of  the  same  narrative  in  the  books  fol- 
lowing, so  the  expectations  raised  by  the  farewell  address  of 
Joshua  are  met  by  an  element  of  the  story  in  Judges  and  the 
books  of  Samuel  and  Kings. 

The  story  of  the  Judges  in  E  is  not,  as  in  the  parallel,  which 
in  many  ways  is  identified  as  J,  the  account  of  how  the  tribes 
gradually  enlarged  and  established  their  foothold  against  the 
native  peoples,  but  how  all  Israel  underwent  a  succession  of 
reverses  at  the  hands  oi  fflirio;n  invaders,  according  as  they  sue- 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION. 

cessively  fell  away  to  the  worship  of  "  strange  gods,"  then 
repented,  and  Yahweh  "  raised  them  up  a  deliverer."  The 
last  and  greatest  of  Xhfs.^  prophet-deliverers  is  Samuel,  the  story 
of  whose  career  begins  a  new  epoch. 

In  I  and  II  Samuel  E's  story  contrasts  with  that  of  J, 
first  by  making  Samuel  the  prophet  the  most  important  figure, 
relating  his  career  from  birth  and  childhood,  as  in  the  case  of 
Moses,  instead  of  merely  introducing  him  as  J  does  in  full 
maturity,  when  his  part  is  to  be  played,  and  subordinating  his 
role  to  that  of  Saul.  On  account  of  the  unfaithfulness  of  the 
priesthood  Israel  is  reduced  to  subjection  by  the  Philistines.  At 
the  instance  of  Samuel  the  people  repent  and  turn  to  Yahweh 
with  all  their  heart,  "  putting  away  the  strange  gods."  Samuel 
leads  them  to  complete  victory  at  Ebenezer,  and  rules  the 
country  in  peace  and  justice.  The  origin  of  the  monarchy  is 
traced  to  the  discontent  and  vanity  of  the  people,  who  demand 
dik\x\g  in  imitation  of  the  neighboring  peoples.  Samuel  reveals  to 
them  their  folly  and  sin  in  rejecting  the  theocracy  they  have 
hitherto  enjoyed,  but  at  Yahweh's  command  grants  their 
request,  selecting  the  king  by  lot  at  Mizpah.  Moved  by  Sam- 
uel's speech  of  abdication  the  people  repent  and  secure  Sam- 
uel's promise  of  intercession  and  the  promise  of  suspension  of 
punishment  during  good  conduct.  Immediately  thereupon 
Samuel,  as  representative  of  Yahweh's  sovereignty,  enjoins 
upon  Saul,  the  newly-appointed  king,  a  holy  war  against  Ama- 
lek  (cf.  I  Sam,  xv.  iff.  with  Ex.  xvii.  8-14;  Dt.  xxv.  17-19). 
Saul  at  once  jiroves  his  unfitness,  and  the  story  of  the  shepherd- 
boy  David  and  his  conflict  with  (ioliath  introduces  the  worthy 
successor.  I'Or  their  favor  shown  to  David,  whom  Saul's  jeal- 
ousy has  driven  into  hiding,  Saul  exterminates  the  house  of 
Aaron  (cf.  Ex.  xxxii.  \t,{.).  A  brief  version  of  the  romantic 
story  of  David,  Jonathan  and  Saul  ends  in  E  with  the  account 
of  David's  sparing  Saul's  life  (I  Sam.  xxvi.),  whereupon  Saul 
confesses  his  sin  and  is  reconciled  to  his  "son  David."  After- 
ward David  hears  of  the  death  of  Saul  and  Jonathan  in  the 
battle  of  Oilboa.  His  iiiforniant,  an  Amalekite,  testifies  to  hav- 
ing killed   Saul.      David  has  him  slain.      David   thereupon  con- 


INTRODUCTION.  xxvii 

ducts  the  war  against  the  Philistines  to  a  successful  issue,  and 
when  firmly  established  in  Jerusalem  consults  with  "Nathan 
the  prophet  "  as  to  "building  a  house  for  Yahweh."  Nathan 
responds  at  first  with  approval,  but,  receiving  a  message  from 
Yahweh  the  same  night,  reports  that  Yahweh  will  have  notie  of 
the  proposed  house  of  cedar,  though  for  David's  pious  design  He 
will  "  build /«"/// a  house," /.  ^.  establish  his  posterity  upon  the 
throne  (cf.  Ex.  i.  21).  There  is  no  further  report  from  E  upon 
the  reign  of  David  and  he  appears  to  have  proceeded  at  once 
to  the  accession  of  Solomon. 

Solomon's  reign  imposed  a  "  grievous  yoke  "  upon  Israel  in 
the  building  of  his  temple  and  palaces,  and  at  his  death  the 
people  seek  relief.  At  Shecheni  all  Israel  had  gathered  to  make 
Rehoboam  king.  The  folly  of  the  young  prince  repels  the  ten 
(eleven  ?)  tribes.  Under  the  leadership  of  Jeroboam,  who  had 
previously  been  instructed  by  the  prophet  Ahijah,  they  rebel  and 
set  up  the  kingdom  of  Ephraim.  "  There  was  none  that  fol- 
lowed the  house  of  David  but  the  tribe  of  Judah  only."  Jero- 
boam sins  by  establishing  bull-worship  at  Bethel  (and  Dan?"*) 
and  is  rejected  by  Yahweh  at  the  mouth  of  x\hijah  (I  Kgs. 
xiv.). 

E  probably  traced  briefly  the  story  of  the  kings  of  Israel  as 
far  as  Ahab,  and  his  work  may  have  incorporated  the  great 
narrative  of  the  prophets  which  begins  abruptly  with  the  story 
of  Elijah  in  I  Kgs.  xvii.-xix.,  and  continues  in  II  Kings  ii.,  iv.- 
viii.  15.  Cornill  thinks  it  probable  that  the  source  of  II  Kings 
xiv.  8-16  is  E,  and  I  would  add  in  that  case  as  extremely  prob- 
able, vv.  23-29,  in  vs.  28  reading  ive-Jehi/dah,  "  and  Judah,"  for 
le-jehudah,  "  to  Judah,"  of  the  text.  It  would  seem  therefore 
that  in  its  present  form  the  narrative  of  E  came  down  very  near, 
if  not  quite,  to  the  fall  of  the  northern  kingdom,  and  in  any 
case  he  must  have  brought  his  narrative  down  to  date.  The 
great  catastrophe  of  722  b.  c.  establishes  a  positive  terminus 
ad  quern    for   the    Ephraimite  history,  not    because    literature 


*  Cf.    Farrar's   article:    "Was    there  a  golden  calf  at  Dan  i  "     Expositor, 
Dec,  1893. 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION. 

ceased  in  Samaria  after  the  loss  of  its  independence,  but  be- 
cause the  hopeful  and  even  triumphant  patriotic  feeling  which 
pervades  the  bulk  of  this  history  is  incompatible  with  the 
experience  of  utter  national  ruin.  Again  such  a  narrative 
would  scarcely  have  grown  up  in  independence  of  its  Judean 
parallel  after  the  coalescence  of  the  two  kingdoms.  But  per- 
haps the  nu)st  conclusive  argument  for  a  limit  within  the  eighth 
century  u.  c.  is  that  in  701.  the  work  seems  to  have  been  known 
to  Isaiah  the  son  of  Amoz  (cf.  Is.  x.  24-36).  The  brilliant 
reign  of  Jeroboam  II.  {c/rc.  800-759),  marked  by  an  at  least 
attempted  incorporation  of  Judah  and  restoration  of  the 
Davidic  monarchy,  fulfills  the  conditions  under  which  such  a 
document  might  naturally  arise,  and  we  are  safe  in  concluding 
that  its  story  reached  to  about  the  middle  of  the  eighth  cen- 
tury. 

The  argument  for  the  continuity  of  the  document  J  of  (Gen- 
esis throughout  tlu-  [)rce.\ilic  h.storical  books  very  nearly,  if 
not  quite  down  to  the  revolution  of  Jehoiada,  is  exactly  analo- 
gous to  that  presented  in  favor  of  P  and  E,  but  a  mere  perusal 
of  the  document  should  dissipate  from  any  candid  mind  the 
notion  that  the  materials  the  analysis  sets  aside  from  1'  and  E 
in  Genesis  and  the  later  Pentateuchal  books  are  mere  discon- 
nected fragments,  or  even  two  or  more  separate  though  mutu- 
ally supplementary  narratives.  The  scope  of  J  is  far  wider 
than  that  of  either  E  or  P,  but  a  comprehensive  purpose  is 
intelligently  pursued  from  its  introductory  chapters  tracing  the 
ethnological  pedigree  of  Israel  to  "  the  Man  "  of  VAi^n,  tlown 
to  the  story  of  the  great  Yahwistic  rebellion  against  the 
"house  of  Omri,"  which  in  Ephraim  set  Jehu,  whom  we  might 
call  the  "  flail  of  Elijah,"  upon  tlu-  throne  of  Ahab,  and  in 
Judah,  under  the  leadershii)  of  Jehoiada,  overthrew  the  usurjied 
throne  of  .\thaliah,  and  set  in  her  place  the  child  Joash  with 
the  powerful  chief-priest  as  regent. 

Let  the  reader  conceive,  in  the  absence  of  adeciiuite  synopsis, 
what  the  history  of  Israel  would  be  like,  as  written  in  the  Pen- 
tateuch, Joshua,  Judges.  I  .md  II  Samurl  ami  Kings,  down  to 
the  epoch  just  defined,  if  the  I  )i'uterouomic  and  Priestly  Codes, 


INTRODUCTION.  XXIX 

and  the  elements  of  P  and  E  above  reviewed  were  omitted. 
In  Genesis  the  ori^i^iiis  of  the  Hebrew  stock  are  rehited  in 
legends  of  idyllic  beauty.  Their  affinity  with  all  surrounding 
peoples  is  traced  back  to  the  creation  of  man.  Primitive  my- 
thology is  employed  to  account  for  the  beginnings  of  moral  and 
physical  evil,  with  faint  foreshadowing  of  an  ultimate  victory 
of  humanity.  The  growth  of  art  and  invention  accompanies 
the  ramification  of  the  race  and  the  rise  of  corrupt  civilizations. 
Presently  the  stock  of  Abram  emerges  as  divinely  chosen  to  in- 
herit the  Ian  J  of  Canaan.  The  folk-tales  of  Bethel,  Hebron,  Beer- 
sheba,  the  sacred  wells,  trees,  altars,  sanctuaries  of  the  land  are 
attached  to  the  story  of  the  patriarchs,  and  find  their  justification 
in  it,  while  the  splendid  tribe-legend  of  Joseph  leads  over  to 
the  bondage  of  Egypt.  That  noble  national  lyric  the  Blessing 
of  Jacob  forms  the  subscript  to  the  story  of  the  primitive  age. 

In  the  rest  of  the  Pentateuch  the  story  continues  with  the 
account  of  the  origin  of  the  national  institutions.  The  tradi- 
tion of  the  plagues  and  deliverance  from  Egypt  culminates  in 
the  story  of  the  Passover  audits  ritual  tei^isiatio/i,  and  affords  a 
manifestly  historical  nucleus  to  the  tradition  of  the  battle  at 
the  Red  Sea.  At  Sinai  the  same  brief  ritual  law  incorporated 
by  E  is  given  to  Moses,  who  writes  it  on  "  tables  of  stones." 
Here  also  the  primeval  institutions  of  worship  are  supple- 
mented by  a  Levitical priesthood  and  a  portable  sanctuary.  Cer- 
tain legends  of  the  desert  and  the  long  "  nomadic  "  period  in 
the  steppes  of  Kadesh,  reveal  a  historical  basis,  as  does  the 
story  of  the  conquest  of  the  land  of  the  Amorites  (Gilead), 
which  is  subsequently  allotted  to  Gad  and  Reuben.  The 
period  of  the  wilderness  wandering  concludes  with  the  unsought 
Blessing  of  Balaam,  the  "diviner,"  foretelling  the  glory  of  the 
Davidic  monarchy.  A  second  magnificent  national  poem  cen- 
tering the  national  life  in  the  sanctuary  at  Jerusalem,  where  Yah- 
weh  abides  "  on  the  mountain  shoulders  of  Benjamin,"  and  in  a 
faithful  Levitical  priesthood  preserving  the  rule  of  civil  and  relig- 
ious order,  is  "  the  Blessing  wherewith  Moses  the  man  of  God 
blessed  the  children  of  Israel  before  his  death." 

The  story  of  the  conquest  under  Joshua    is  a    comparatively 


XXX  INTRODUCTION. 

sober  relation  of  the  crossing  of  Jordan  and  taking  of  Jericho 
and  Ai,  whereupon  follows  the  league  with  the  Gibeonites  and 
resultant  battle  and  victory  at  Gibeon,  Joshua  and  all  Israel 
returning  to  Gilgal.  The  poetic  excerpt  from  the  "  Book  of 
Jashar  "  is  well  known.  Central  Palestine  is  now  open,  but 
"Joshua  was  old  and  well-stricken  in  years."  The  as  yet  un- 
conquered  territory  is  therefore  allotted  to  the  tribes,  and  from 
"  the  city  of  Palm-trees  "  (Jericho)  the  historian  traces  the 
gradual  acquisition  by  the  tribes  first  of  a  foothold,  then  a  firm 
settlement,  in  their  several  territories. 

In  Judges  J  relates  the  varying  fortunes  of  the  tribes  in  their 
struggle  against  the  unsubdued  Canaanites.  A  great  victory  by 
a  coalition  of  the  northern  tribes  under  Deborah  and  Barak 
against  the  Canaanite  confederacy  of  Jabin  secures  control  of 
northern  Palestine  and  is  celebrated  in  one  more  priceless  nat- 
ional ode.  The  traditions  of  Dan  and  Benjamin  lead  over  to  the 
story  of  Saul  and  the  war  of  deliverance  from  the  Philistine  yoke. 

In  the  story  of  the  rise  of  the  monarchy  we  have  our  first  intro- 
duction in  J  to  a  prophet.  The  heroic  Benjaminite  Saul  in  search 
of  his  father's  asses  turns  aside  to  enquire  of  a  soothsayer  of 
local  repute  where  he  should  look.  A  sixpence  is  the  price  of 
the  augury,  and  a  parenthetic  note  (probably  a  gloss)  explains 
that  he  that  is  called  in  the  narrative  "a  seer,  is  now  called  a 
prophet."  But  a  divine  message  is  given  to  Saul  by  "  Samuel 
the  seer,"  and  thus  forewarned  he  rallies  discouraged  Israel  to 
the  relief  of  beleaguered  Jabesh,  leads  against  Amnion,  and  is 
crowned  by  the  victors  on  the  field.  Now  Saul  and  Jonathan 
move  Israel  to  throw  off  the  Philistine  yoke  and  ultimately 
drive  the  oppressor  from  the  country.  Pathetically  beautiful 
is  the  story  of  Saul  and  his  still  nobler  son  ;  but  with  the 
appearance  of  the  Judean  minstrel-warrior  David,  and  the  im- 
mortal friendship  of  Jonathan,  a  new  interest  takes  its  place. 
Saul's  insane  jealousy  drives  David  into  exile  and  culminates 
in  the  monstrous  crime  of  attempted  annihilation  of  the  priests 
of  Yahweh.  With  the  escape  to  David  of  Ahimelech  the  sole 
survivor,  carrying  the  supreme  emblem  of  the  divine  presence, 
the  sacred  ephod,  the  national  cause  passes  over    to  David,  as 


INTRODUCTION.  XXxi 

doubtless  did  in  large  part  the  interest  of  the  nation.  Finally 
the  fearful  catastrophe  of  the  battle  of  Gilboa  and  annihilation 
of  Saul's  dynasty  is  celebrated  by  our  author  in  an  authentic 
elegy  written  by  the  warrior  poet  David  himself,  and  here  ex- 
cerpted from  the  "Book  of  Jashar." 

II  Samuel  describes  first  the  assumption  of  the  crown  by 
David  at  Hebron  and  crushing  of  the  house  of  Saul,  then  the 
retrieving  of  the  terrible  defeat  of  Gilboa  against  the  Philis- 
tines, the  conquest  of  Jerusalem  and  bringing  up  of  the  ark  of 
Yahweh  to  a  permanent  abode  in  David's  capital;  then,  after  the 
firm  establishment  of  national  independence  and  sovereignty, 
the  acquisition  of  the  floor  of  Araunah  the  Jebusite,  indicated  by 
a  theophany  as  the  true  site  for  the  national  sanctuary.*  An 
unsparing  review  of  the  weakness  of  David's  domestic  admin- 
istration and  the  calamities  brought  thereby  upon  Israel  occu- 
pies the  latter  part  of  the  book,  but  exhibits  at  once  the  right- 
eous government  of  Yahweh,  and  the  true  greatness  of  David's 
character,  for  he  comes  out  of  the  furnace  of  affliction  hum- 
bled, submissive,  grateful. 

After  the  accession  of  Solomon  and  a  description  of  his 
munificence,  the  narrative  passes  to  the  epoch-making  event  of 
the  building  and  dedication  of  the  temple  drawing  once  more  from 
its  source  the  Book  of  Jashar  an  extract  from  the  Dedicatory 
Prayer  of  Solomon.  The  subsequent  calamitous  history  is 
related  very  briefly,  but  we  find  in  I  Kgs.  xvi.  34  the  sequel  to 
J's  story  of  the  destruction  of  Jericho  in  Jos.  vi.  26f.  and  in 
chh.  xx.-xxii.  a  record  of  the  reign  of  Ahab,  including  a  ver- 
sion of  his  relation  to  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  which  contrasts 
with  that  of  chh.  xvii.-xix.  almost  as  the  Samuel  of  J  does  with 
the  Samuel  of  E  ;  its  sequel  appears  in  II  Kgs.  (iii  ?)  viii. 
i6ff.,  where  the  fulfilment  of  Gen.  xxvii.  40  (J  ?)  is  related, 
and  in  a  "  photographic  narrative  ''  strongly  recalling  the 
style  of  the  Books  of  Samuel  (cf.  Elisha  in  ch.  ix.  with  Sam- 
uel in  I  Sam.  ixf.,  and  the  gate  scene,  ix.  17-20,  with  II  Sam. 
xiii.   34-36  ;  xviii.    24-32),  on  account  of  the    great  revolution 

*  II  Sam.  xxiv.  is  displaced. 


xxxii  INTRODUCTION. 

of  Jehu  in  Ephraim,  with  its  after-clap  in  the  overthrow  of 
Athaliah  in  Judah.  The  story  apparently  closes  with  the 
repairing;  of  the  temple  under  Jehoash  durinsi:  the  years  that 
"  Jehoiada  the  priest  instructed  him." 

The  belief  that  the  narrative  of  J  extended  down  so  late  as 
II  Kgs.  xii.  is  as  yet  but  a  personal  conviction,  based  on  per- 
haps inadequate  grounds  ;  but  it  is  traceable  with  practical 
certainty  to  the  dedication  of  the  temple,  and  is  traced  by 
Cornill  and  others  with  great  probability  as  far  as  I  Kgs.  xvi, 
34.  If  now  we  iook  for  such  a  great  national  movement  as 
might  naturally  give  birth  to  a  masterpiece  of  the  kind,  there 
is  no  epoch  comparable  in  appropriateness  with  that  which 
ensued  upon  the  great  Yahwistic  revolution,  the  seed  whereof 
was  sown  by  the  great  Ephraimite  prophets  of  the  school  of 
Elijah,  though  in  Judah  it  was  carried  through  under  the  lead- 
ership of  the  head  of  the  Jerusalem  priesthood.  On  the  other 
hand  it  is  certain  that  the  story  of  Ji  did  not  continue  much 
beyond  tiie  year  800,  lor  the  work  was,  perhaps,  already  known 
to  .\mos  (cf.  ii.  10),  and  almost  certainly  to  llosea. 

In  fixing  the  contents  of  the  two  great  preexilic  documents 
we  have  thus  determined  within  tolerably  close  limits  their  prob- 
able dates,  and  found  them  to  coincide  with  those  determined  on 
independent  grounds  before  the  completion  of  this  analysis. 
The  post-exilic  origin  of  F  was  made  sufficiently  clear  in  the 
preceding  volume.  The  questions  we  have  now  to  ask,  as  to 
the  character,  purpose  and  authorship  of  the  three,  must 
needs  have  received  already  some  degree  of  illumination  from 
this  review  of  their  subject  matter. 

The  conqirehensive  view  thus  afforded  of  each  of  the  great 
historical  documents  of  tiie  ( )l(l  I'estament,  when  documentary 
analysis  has  completed  its  work,  should  serve  a  higher  purpose 
than  the  mere  enumeration  of  minor  idiosyncrasies  of  the 
writers,  favorite  piirases.  modes  of  e.vpression,  peculiarities  of 
style  and  diction.  In  the  standard  critical  works  of  Dillmann 
(Ap|)enilix  to  .\'//.  D/.  Jos.  p.  592-690)  or  \\'ellhausen  [Co/iip. 
passim.)  the  reader  will  find  these  criteria  described  at  length. 
Hut  the  lists   most  convenient  of  access  to  the  l%nglish  reader 


INTRODUCTION.  XXxiii 

are  those  of  Kuenen  {^Ncx.  p.  45-158)  and  of  Driver  ("  Introd. 
to  O.  T.  Lit.",  N.  Y.,  1S91,  p.  109-150).*  In  the  present  volume 
it  is  expected  that  the  references  and  the  diacritical  marks  of 
Part  II.  will  enable  the  reader  to  judge  for  himself  as  to  J's 
partiality  for  the  phrases  '  find  favor  in  the  eyes  of,'  '  land  flow- 
ing with  milk  and  honey,'  'break  forth,'  'ground,'  'Lord,' 
{adonai)  etc.,  his  specification  of  the  time  of  day,  and  similar 
idiosyncrasies ;  E's  form  of  address,  use  of  '  Jethro  '  for 
'  Hobab,'  '  Horeb  '  for  'Sinai,'  'Amorite'  for  'Canaanite,' 
'  amah  '  ("  maid  "),  for  '  shiphchah  '  ("  maid  "),  '  mount  of  Clod,' 
*  rod  of  God,'  '  angel  of  God,'  '  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,' 
and  the  like  ;  and  that  above  all  he  cannot  fail  to  secure  some 
impression  from  the  innumerable  peculiarities  and  conventional 
forms  of  P,  however  hasty  his  perusal.  But  these  are  not 
results  of  criticism  ;  these  are  the  mere  tools  of  documentary 
analysis.  If  a  new  definition  of  the  higher  criticism  may  be 
permitted  so  late,  we  should  call  it  t/ie  study  of  the  origin  atid 
development  of  ideas.  The  ideas  of  J,  E  and  P  are  more  import- 
ant than  their  phrases,  and  to  understand  them  and  their 
implications  we  must  trace  their  history. 

Even  in  J,  whose  work  is  far  less  dominated  by  theory  even 
than  E,t  and  of  course  than  P,  we  have  not  the  work  of  a 
mere  annalist  ;  had  it  been  so,  the  work  would  never  have 
become  the  substratum  of  a  Bible.  History  is  here  made  the 
vehicle  of  an  idea  ;  a  very  broad  and  simple  one,  but  admirably 

*  The  discussion  of  the  documents  does  not  look  beyond  the  Hexateuch,  and 
is  largely  taken  from  Dillmann's  Appendix  referred  to  above. 

t  It  is  surprising  that  so  careful  and  judicious  a  scholar  as  Driver  should 
write  ("  Introd."  p.  1 1 1 ) :  "  It  [the  prophetical  standpoint  of  E]  is  not  brought  so 
prominently  forward  as  in  J,  and  in  general  the  narrative  is  more  "  objective," 
less  consciously  tinged  by  ethical  and  theological  reflection  than  that  of  J." 
This  complete  reversal  of  the  true  relation  would  be  unaccountable,  were  it 
not  that  Driver's  caution  leads  him  to  confine  his  view  almost  exclusively  to 
the  inconclusive  phenomena  of  Genesis,  and  to  depend  too  much  on  Dillmann. 
It  should  be  remembered  that  pp.  629ff.  of  Dillmann's  Nn.  Dt.fos.  were  writ- 
ten as  a  determined  effort  to  support  the  now  almost  abandoned  theory  of  the 
priority  of  E  and  P  and  late  date  of  J.  Schrader  is  far  more  felicitous  in  cal- 
ling E  "  the  Theocratic  Narrator." 


xxxiv  INTRODUCTION. 

carried  out.     That  idea  is  :    Ya/nve/i's  rtg/iteous  govenu/ienf  of  the 
world  is  manifested  in  the  story  of  his  chosen  people. 

In  E,  and  still  more  in  P,  the  narrative  of  Israel  is  decidedly- 
subordinated    to    a   purpose   of  tracing  the   history   of    special 
institutions,  but    in  J  the  nation  itself,  with  all  its   institutions, 
and  as  a  whole,  is  the  object  of  supreme  interest  ;  it  may  prop- 
erly be  called  a  History  of  the  Covenant  People  of  Yah- 
WEH.     For  precisely  the  same  reason  that  E  takes  delight  in 
relating  the  birth  and  parentage,  youth  and  development  of  his 
great    prophetic  characters  ;    whereas,    once   their  role   in  the 
national  history  is  about  to  begin,  he  subordinates  the  nation's 
career  to  the  individual's,  or    even   passes   it   over   entirely,   J 
follows  a  course  exactly  the    opposite.     Instead    of  beginning 
with  the  call  of  "  the   prophet  Abraham,"  he   begins  with  the 
remotest  an^tecedents  of  the  Hebrew  stock,  employs  the  cosmog- 
onic  myths  to  locate  its  true  position   in   the  world's  history, 
and  primitive  ethnology  in  the   form   of  discursive  genealogies 
to  determine  its  affinity  with  all  surrounding  peoples.     Because 
J  is  supremely  interested  in  the  career  of  the  nation,  his  great 
characters  are  introduced   when  their  role  affects  the  national 
destinies,  and  to  this  extent  only.     He  brings  in  Moses,  Joshua, 
Samuel,  David,  in  every  case  in  full  maturity,  without  troubling 
himself  about   their  birth  and  childhood   or    pious   education  ; 
their  careers  are  only  episodes   in   the    great   national  drama. 
For  the  same  reason  archaeological  data  of  even  a  purely  secu- 
lar character,  if  they  have  a  bearing  upon  the  history  of  Israel, 
are  welcome  to  J.     The   origin  of  the  arts  and  industries  con- 
cerns   him  ;  he    is    ready   to     take    up    aetiological     folk-tales 
accounting   for  all    sorts   of  j^ractises,    customs,   localities  and 
beliefs  ;  he  does  not  refuse  room  even    to   the  repulsive  legend 
of  Moab  and  Amnion,  the  superstitious  association  of  the  man- 
dragora    with    the    i)irth    of   Rachel's   children,    or    the    coarse 
clan-legends  of  the   stocks  of  Judah.     On  the  other  hand  he  is 
not  unnaturally  led  by  the  literary  beauty  of  such  idylls  as   the 
marriage    of   Isaac  and    Rebecca   and    the    jiojiular    iuimor     of 
Jacob's  shepherd  tricks  to  give  them  otherwise  disproportion- 
ate space. 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXV 

When  we  pass  from  the  dim  region  of  cosmogonic,  ethnol- 
ogic, and  aetiologic  myth  to  the  dawn  of  quasi-historical  tra- 
dition, it  is  clear  that  J  seeks  to  tell  the  story  as  it  was,  not 
indeed  purely  for  its  own  sake,  but  often  satisfied  to  let  it  point 
its  own  moral.  For  him  history  has  a  value  as  such,  and  we 
doubtless  owe  it  quite  as  much  to  this  as  to  his  greater  antiq- 
uity and  superior  sources,  that  as  a  source  for  actual  history  his 
narrative  must  be  almost  the  sole  dependence  of  the  judicious 
critic.  More  and  more  apparent  does  this  fact  become  as  we 
advance,  till  in  the  story  of  the  rise  of  the  monarchy  through 
the  personal  exploits  of  Saul  it  is  clear  that  we  are  treading  on 
the  firm  ground  of  history  ;  whereas  in  E  the  true  course  of 
events  is  obscured,  or  distorted  out  of  all  credibility,  in  the  en- 
deavor to  magnify  the  importance  of  "  the  prophet  Samuel  " 
and  to  make  clear  the  unpardonable  folly  and  sin  of  the  people 
in  desiring  a  king,  instead  of  continuing  to  prosper  under  a 
theocracy  administered  by  "  prophets  and  judges."  The  con- 
trast is  perhaps  even  more  marked  in  the  story  of  David.  J's 
splendid  history  of  the  nation  under  Saul  and  David  can  be 
judged  by  the  Book  of  11  Samuel,  almost  entirely  his.  E  con- 
tents himself  with  the  story  of  the  pious  shepherd-boy  and  the 
giant,  the  romance  of  David's  youth  and  a  brief  statement  of 
his  mounting  the  throne  and  ruling  under  the  '  fear  of  God  ' 
and  the  tutelage  of  the  'prophet '  Nathan.  The  same  contrast 
will  appear  to  every  reader  even  in  the  Pentateuch,  though 
here  there  is  of  course  less  to  choose. 

The  broad  and  comprehensive  patriotism  of  J  is  apparent  in 
his  treatment  of  all  the  tribes  in  Genesis,  and  particularly  in 
Joshua  and  Judges.  "  The  house  of  Joseph  "  is  as  dear  to  him 
as  "  the  house  of  Judah."  It  comes  most  clearly  to  view  in  the 
grand  national  odes  he  attaches  at  salient  points  of  the  story, 
the  Blessing  of  Jacob,  Blessing  of  Balaam,  Blessmg  of  Moses 
and  Song  of  Deborah.  For  him  the  ideal  of  national  unity  was 
realized  when  : 

"  Yahweh  was  king  in  Jeshurun 
When  the  heads  of  the  people  were  gathered 
All  the  tribes  of  Israel  together." 


xxxvi  INIRODUCTION. 

But  just  as  the  devotion  to  history  as  such  does  not  exclude 
a  distinctly  religious  purpose,  apparent  in  the  narrative,  so  this 
fidelity  to  an  impartial  account  of  all  the  institutions  of  Israel 
does  not  exclude  a  decided  tinge  of  personal  predilection  for  the 
institutions  of  xMe  priesthood  j  and  in  the  material  at  command, 
if  not  in  his  personal  feeling,  there  appears  an  equally  decided 
bent  toward  Judah.  None  but  a  religious  historian  would  have 
given  that  faint  glimpse  toward  a  victory  of  humanity  over  the 
power  of  physical  and  moral  evil  in  the  world  implied  in  the 
protevangelium  ;  nor  would  another  have  viewed  in  quite  the 
same  light  the  call  of  Abram,  Gen.  xii.  iff.,  nor  allowed  the 
moral  government  of  Yahweh  to  shine  through  so  distinctly  as 
in  the  unsparing  record  of  David's  crime  and  weakness,  calam- 
ities and  repentance.  In  the  sense  of  being  an  ultimate  out- 
growth of  the  great  Yahwistic  reformation  of  Elijah,  J's 
narrative  may  justly  be  called  "  prophetic,''  and  it  certainly  fol- 
lows the  same  motto  :  Israel  the  people  of  Yahweh.  Other- 
wise it  would  seem  anything  but  a  "  prophetic  "  document. 
Only priesi/y  institutions  are  traced  as  far  back  as  the  age  of 
Moses,  and  both  Joseph  and  Moses  are  allied  with  great 
priestly  families  ;  the  function  of  interpreting  the  Mosaic  law 
is  given  to  "Aaron  the  Levite  "  (Ex.  iv.  14;  cf.  Dt.  xxxiii.  8- 
10)  and  both  the  Egyptian  and  Sinaitic  legislation  are  solely 
concerned  with  ritual  ordinances.  Only  Moses,  Aaron,  and  the 
priests  are  admitted  to  the  audience  of  Yahweh  on  Sinai,  and, 
in  striking  contrast  to  E,  \.\\^  fidelity  of  the  Levites  in  the  mutiny 
is  rewarded  by  a  perpetual  tribal  prerogative  of  the  priesthood. 
Proi^hetism  does  not  appear  at  all  among  the  early  institutions 
of  Israel.  Samuel  is  only  a  local  "soothsayer."  Joseph  and 
Balaam  an-  "  diviners."  Xot  until  Elijah  the  Tishbite  con- 
fronts .\hab  in  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  does  prophetism  count 
for  anything.  On  the  contrary  the  profouiulest  mterest  is 
taken  in  the  fate  of  the  ark  anil  its  priesthood.  The  slaughter 
of  Nob,  and  escape  of  .Miimelech  with  the  ephod  marks  the 
transition  point  between  Saul  and  David  as  bearer  of  tlie  nat- 
ional destinies,  and  one  of  the  most  prominent  elements  of 
David's  reign  is  always  the  ark,  its  abiding  place  and   its  guar- 


INIKODUCI  ION.  XXXVll 

dians.  Its  solemn  transfer  to  Jerusalem  from  Baalei-Judah, 
and  the  provision  made  for  it  by  David  by  purchase  of  the 
threshing-floor  of  Araunah,  lead  up  to  the  story  of  the  building 
and  dedication  of  the  temple  as  the  great  event  of  Solomon's 
reign. 

In  agreement  with  this  is  the  priestly  conception  of  man's 
relation  to  God.  Yahweh's  anger  is  appeased  by  sacrifice 
(Gen.  viii.  21),  or  by  the  mediation  of  the  recipients  of  his  per- 
sonal favor  ;  and  through  these  Yahweh  makes  known  to  the 
ignobile  vulgus  the  ordinances  and  ritual  by  which  it  pleases  him 
to  be  served.  The  sacred  'pillars'  {inaccehotJi)  so  dear  to  E, 
however,  were  either  obnoxious  to  J,  or  the  mention  of  them 
has  been  obliterated  by  later  hands  (see,  however,  II  Sam.  xx.  8). 

We  should,  in  fact,  expect  nothing  else  than  a  priestly  niter- 
est  in  a  document  whose  material  so  clearly  points  to  an  origin 
in  the  southern  kingdom.  For  with  all  the  catholicity  of  J's 
patriotism  the  stories  of  Genesis  tend  to  group  about  Hebron 
and  Beersheba,  much  as  those  of  E  about  Shechem  and  Bethel ; 
Judah  and  not  Reuben  is  spokesman  for  the  brethren  in  the 
Joseph-legend,  and  Judah's  clans  and  Judah's  birthright  are 
kept  in  view  in  chh.  xxxviii.  and  xlix.  Later,  Jerusalem  be- 
comes the  real  focus  of  attention.  Now  it  would  be  scarcely 
possible,  at  the  time  and  amid  the  circumstances  from  which 
this  document  thus  seems  to  spring,  that  it  should  present  any 
other  view  than  the  above  of  the  relative  importance  of  proph- 
etism  and  the  priesthood.  Prophetism  had  never  been  the 
force  in  Judah  which  it  had  been  in  Ephraim.  The  far  more 
\n?i\x&\\l\^\  priests  of  the  Jerusalem  temple  htvQ  took  the  lead  in 
Yahwistic  reform.  There  is  entire  sympathy  with  the  aims  of 
the  prophets,  but  as  yet  they  count  for  but  little  in  conserva- 
tive Judah. 

Politically,  the  contrast  is  the  strongest  possible  between  J 
and  E.  J  looks  upon  the  monarchy  as  the  very  salvation  of 
Israel  ;  he  is  a  thorough-going  aristocrat  and  high-churchman. 
E,  as  we  shall  see,  is  intensely  devoted  to  the  opposite  princi- 
ples. But  we  are  anticipating  our  discussion  of  this  second 
document. 


xxxviii  INTRODUCTION. 

A  first  comprehensive  glance  at  E's  work  would  suggest  as 
its  proper  title  :  The  Story  of  the  Prophets.  If  it  pursues  the 
course  of  the  national  history  from  the  call  of  Abraham  to  the 
writer's  day,  it  is  not  from  a  desire  to  give  the  story  of  divine 
providence  for  its  own  sake,  but  to  vindicate  the  theory  of  the 
theocracy,  by  exhibiting  the  character  of  the  leaders  divinely 
raised  up.  To  the  careers  of  these  men  the  history  as  such  is 
entirely  subordinate.  In  a  single  word  the  document  E  is  a 
History  of    thk  Thkocratic  Succkssion. 

Doubtless  the  form  assumed  by  this  Ephraimite  work  was 
largely  affected  by  the  knowledge — perhaps  only  indirect,  for 
there  is  no  decisive  evidence  of  actual  use  of  J  by  E — of  its 
great  predecessor  in  Judah,  It  was  inevitable  that  in  the  ear- 
lier portions  it  should  bear  a  close  resemblance  to  it.  But  it 
is  well  worthy  of  note  that  so  far  from  showing  the  affinity  of 
Israel  with  all  surrounding  peoples  by  tracing  the  stock  back  to 
"  the  Man,"  E  sets  out  with  the  call  of  God  to  the  '  prophet  ' 
.Abraham  to  come  out  from  among  the  idolaters  of  his  fatherland, 
and  upon  his  obedience  gives  the  promise  of  the  '  land  of  the 
.\morites  '  when  their  'iniquity  shall  be  full.'  Except  as  to  the 
'proving'  of  Abraham,  which  incidentally  reveals  the  boyhood 
of  Isaac,  the  stories  of  Genesis  do  not  differ  largely  from  J's. 
However,  E's  more  spiritual,  less  anthropomorphic  views  of 
(iod  and  decidedly  more  moral  views  of  the  patriarchs  are 
brought  out  incidentally.  Thus  Isaac's  falsehood  to  Abimelech 
in  E's  story  becomes  a  mere  doiible-entendre  of  Abraham,  since 
Sarah  "  is  indeed  his  sister,"  So  instead  of  Reuben's  man- 
drakes, as  the  efficient  cause  of  fruitfulness  in  Rachel  and 
Leah,  we  have  in  E  jirayer  to  God  :  and  instead  of  Jacob's 
shepherd  tricks,  direct  divine  intervention  in  answer  to  the 
vow  of  Bethel.  Special  interest  in  Shechem  and  the  northern 
sanctuaries  has  always  been  noted,  and  in  view  of  this 
Ephraimite  interest  the  tribe-legend  of  Joseph  in  E  would  nat- 
urally be  based  on  sources  even  sujierior  to  j's.  l?ut  here  the 
method  of  E  is  again  ai)|)arent.  |()se|)ii  the  sliepheril-bov 
endowed  with  prophetic  gifts,  rising  to  the  highest  sovereignty, 
devoutly  and   |)iously    interpreting   the   divine   will,  and  on   his 


INTRODUCTION.  XXxix 

death-bed  pointing  the  future  course  of  the  people,  is  but  the 
prototype  of  the  shepherd-boy  Moses,  the  shepherd-boy  David, 
and,  with  sUght  variation,  the  youthful  Joshua  and  the  child 
Samuel,  each  rising  to  an  ideal  leadership  in  the  theocracy. 

With  the  possible  exception  of  Joshua  and  David,  these 
leaders  of  the  theocracy  are  all  '  prophets,'  and  the  author  gives 
free  expression  to  his  ideal  in  the  story  of  the  70  elders  upon 
whom  Yahweh  pours  Moses'  spirit  of  prophecy  ;  Joshua's  jeal- 
ousy, says  the  noble-minded  Moses,  is  uncalled  for  :  "  Would 
God  that  all  Yahweh's  people  were  prophets,  that  Yahweh  would 
put  his  spirit  upon  theaii  !  " 

With  Samuel,  second  in  greatness  as  a  prophet  only  to  Moses, 
the  monarchical  ideal  comes  into  conflict  with  the  theocratic. 
To  fully  appreciate  the  author's  political  idea  this  story  of  the 
people's  foolish  demand  and  Samuel's  speech  of  abdication 
recapitulating  the  story  of  the  past,  should  be  read  in  I  Sam. 
viii, ;  X.  17-24;  xii.  ;  xv.  To  E  the  monarchy  is  a  concession 
to  the  weakness  of  humanity  in  the  political  world,  just  as  rit- 
ual worship  is  an  accommodation  to  human  frailty  in  the  moral 
sphere.  When  the  covenant  of  the  pure  moral  law  bringing  the 
people  into  direct  relation  with  God  was  broken,  the  ritual  Ten 
Words  and  priestly  form  of  worship  were  instituted  as  a  measure 
of  concession.  In  like  manner,  though  offended  at  the  people's 
rejection  of  himself  as  their  king,  God  consents  to  the  mon- 
archy and  offers  even  a  conditional  blessing.  Saul's  first  "  prov- 
ing" results  in  immediate  rejection,  but  the  seal  of  divine 
approval  had  been  unmistakably  stamped  by  the  event  upon 
the  reign  of  David.  David  accordingly  represents  to  E  this 
modified  ideal  of  the  theocracy.  Just  enough  is  related  of  his 
career  to  bring  out  this  ideal  of  monarchy. 

This  conception  of  a  theocracy  administered  by  '  prophets  ' 
springs  from  a  mind  imbued  with  religious  and  political  convic- 
tions sharply  contrasting  with  J's.  E  shares  with  the  Ephraimite 
prophet  Hosea  a  profound  distrust  both  of  kings  and  priests. 
The  apostasy  at  Horeb  was  due  to  the  unfaithfulness  of  Aaron 
when  the  people  were  left  in  his  charge.  In  like  manner  the  deep 
depression  from  which  the  people  were  rescued  by  Samuel  was 


Xl  INTRODUCTION. 

due  to  the  unfaithfulness  of  the  priests  of  Shiloh.  He  is  the 
most  radical  of  Puritans,  a  democrat  profoundly  sympathizing 
with  the  people,  though  impatient  with  their  folly  and  weakness, 
an  advocate  of  spirituality  in  religion  and  liberty  in  the  state, 
jealous  of  foreign  inlluence  to  the  degree  of  narrowness  and 
arrogance  in  his  ideal  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  in  all  things  a 
prophet  of  the  prophets  and  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews. 

This  Puritan  morality  and  democratic  jealousy  of  caste 
appear  throughout.  The  covenant  at  Horeb  is  a  voluntary 
compact.  God  pronounces  the  moral  law  "and  all  the  people 
answered  with  one  voice  and  said.  All  that  Yahweh  hath  spoken 
we  will  do."  Prosperity  or  adversity  follow  then  in  regular 
succession  according  as  the  people  serve  Yahweh  only  and 
keep  his  covenant,  or  forget  his  covenant  and  "  worship  strange 
gods."  Repentance  is  invariably  followed  by  rescue,  but  the 
writer  takes  extraordinary  pains  to  guard  against  an  abuse  of 
the  priestly  idea  of  divine  favor,  '  smoothing  the  face  of  Yah- 
weh '  or  appeasing  his  just  indignation  by  anything  short  of 
deep  '  mourning' and  practical  change.  Any  doctrine  of  for- 
giveness savoring  of  laxity  in  this  respect  is  repeatedly  and 
emphatically  denied,  the  very  language  of  J  seeming  some- 
times to  be  criticised.     In  Num.  xxiii.  19  we  have  : 

"  God  is  not  a  man  that  he  should  lie 
Neither  the  son  of  man  that  he  should  repent." 

In  Ex.  xxiii.  20  the  'angel  of  God '"  will  not  forgive  your 
transgression  noryoiu-  sin,  for  my  Name  is  in  him."  Jos.  xxiv. 
19  declares  Yahweh  himself  implacable,  and  even  Saul's  prayer 
for  forgiveness,  I  Sam.   xv.  2\{.,  is  met  by  Samuel  with 

"The  Strength  of  Israel  will  not  lie  nor  repent 
For  he  is  not  a  man  that  he  should  repent." 

Space  forbids  the  fnrtlK'r  nuiltiprK'alioii  of  instances:  the 
hatred  of  idolatry  (inchuling  teraphini  and  divination  (?),  toler- 
ated by  J  ;  but  not  including  '  pillars ');  the  living  faith  in  a 
present  God  of  righteousness; — but  every  sludent  of  the  great 
Ephraimite  prophets  of  the  eighth  centmy  will  recognize  at 
once  their  charactc-ristic  features. 


INTRODUCTION.  xli 

The  prophetic  type  of  religious  thought  of  E,  with  all  its 
spirituality  and  moral  purity  might  easily  tend  without  its 
priestly  counterpoise  to  Pharisaism  and  legalistic  morality. 
But  as  compared  with  J  it  marks  an  advance  in  the  sphere  of 
religious  thought,  and  sheds  new  light  upon  that  deep  current 
of  pure  and  spiritual  ethical  religion,  the  product  of  the  proph- 
etism  of  Ephraim,  which  was  soon  to  flow  side  by  side  with  the 
more  priestly  religious  thought  of  Judah.  The  first  outcome 
of  their  amalgamation  was  the  Ueuteronomic  reformation  ; 
later  the  same  prophetic  "  spirit  and  power  "  blaze  out  in  the 
"greater  Elijah  ";  ultimately  the  priestly  and  the  prophetic 
type  are  blended  in  the  doctrine  of  Jesus.  In  view  of  this  ad- 
vance in  religious  character  we  need  scarcely  regret  the  liter- 
ary inferiority  of  E  to  J,  nor  the  very  limited  use  which  can  be 
made  of  its  material  in  supplementation  of  the  historical  data 
of  J.  The  author's  tciidcuz  so  dominates  the  story  that  while 
material  nearly  as  trustworthy  and  valuable  as  J's  seems  some- 
times to  have  been  at  his  command,  his  story  can  scarcely  be 
called  more  than  an  adaptation  of  practically  the  same  data  in 
much  less  credible  form  to  his  theory  of  the  theocracy.  The 
stories  of  the  boyhood  of  his  prophetic  heroes  (Isaac),  Joseph, 
Moses,  (Joshua),  Samuel,  David  are  unique  and  characteristic, 
but  what  these  add  to  the  history  of  J  has  more  of  literary  and 
religious,  than  of  historical  value. 

We  can  afford  to  pass  lightly  over  the  character,  purposes 
and  doctrine  of  the  Priestly  Law-book,  for  the  following  rea- 
sons :  I.  that  its  character  is  stamped  upon  its  face,  so  that 
only  wilful  blindness  can  ignore  it  ;  2.  that  it  has  been  repeat- 
edly characterized  in  practically  the  same  terms  by  all  compe- 
tent critics  from  Noldeke  down  ;  3.  that  in  "  The  Genesis  of 
Genesis  "  we  have  already  described  it  substantially  as  it  now 
appears.  Nevertheless  the  new  type  marks  so  wide  a  departure 
from  either  of  its  predecessors  that  we  cannot  refrain  from  a 
few  words  of  description. 

In  P  the  practise  of  E  of  subordinating  the  history  to  a  the- 
ory of  the  divine  government  is  carried  to  a  much  greater  ex- 
treme ;  here,    however,    the   hierocracy    takes    the  place  of  the 


xlii  INTRODUCTION. 

theocracy.  The  high  priest  succeeds  the  theocratic  '  judge,'  or 
•  prophet,'  and  in  the  requirement  of  God,  the  general  princi- 
ples of  morality  are  scarcely  more  than  a  matter  of  course, 
compared  with  the  writter,  ordinances  of  the  priesthood  and  the 
ceremonial  law.  The  work  of  P  is  a  History  of  the  Religious 
Institutions  of  Israel,  the  Priest-nation. 

We  are  not  here  concerned  with  the  ceremonial  law,  which 
together  with  the  "  inheritances  in  the  land  "  is  the  matter  of 
principal  import  to  P,  and  hence  need  only  compare  the  artificial 
skeleton  of  history  he  employs  as  a  frame  for  his  code,  with  its 
parallels  in  J  and  E.  It  is  clear  at  the  first  glance  that  the 
process  of  reduction  to  theory,  a  theory  moreover  of  divine  rule 
by  systematic  miraculous  intervention,  has  here  reached  its 
climax. 

In  the  priestly  narrative  all  natural  relations  and  perspective 
of  time  and  space  are  utterly  lost  from  view.  We  are  in  the 
sphere  of  the  purely  marvellous.  That  this  writer  no  longer  has 
before  his  eyes  a  single  remnant  of  historical  realism  and  moves 
purely  in  an  artificial,  mechanical  world  of  marvel,  appears 
wherever  the  attempt  is  made  to  realize  what  his  assertions  im- 
ply. We  need  not  repeat  the  familiar  objections  of  Colenso, 
which  almost  invariably  take  effect  against  the  representation 
of  P  only  :  the  200,000  male  lambs  of  the  first  year  required  at 
every  passover,  as  compared  with  the  dearth  of  food  and  water, 
and  the  complaint  of  no  flesh  to  eat  ;  the  incredible  wealth  of 
material  provided  for  the  tabernacle  ;  the  whole  series  of  im- 
possibilities involved  in  the  enumerated  millions  of  Israel  ; 
above  all  the  inconceivable  war  with  Midian  (Num.  xxxi.). 
How  little  (jf  a  realistic  conception  tiie  writer  had  before  his 
mind  appears  when  we  ask  ourselves  such  questions  as  the  fol- 
lowing :  In  P's  account  of  the  turning  of  water  to  blood,  Ex. 
vii.  19-22,  wiience  did  the  magicians  obtain  water,  to  "do  in 
like  manner  with  their  enchantments  "  ?  How  could  an  altar 
of  acacia  wood,  overlaid  with  brass,  of  the  pattern  of  Ex.  xxvii. 
i-S  sujijiort  the  heal  (sui^posing  the  fuel  obtainable)  of  the 
whole  burnt  offerings  enjoined  ?  The  same  astounding  superi- 
ority to  all  the  unities  of  historical  narrative  appear  in  P's  story 


INTRODUCTION.  xliii 

of  the  manna  and  quails  in  ch.  xvi.  compared  with  its  rela- 
tively historical  parallel  in  Num.  xi.,  and  in  the  ignoring  of  any 
opposition  of  the  Canaanites  to  the  appropriation  of  their  land. 
This  contrast  between  P  and  JE,  especially  J,  it  is  important  to 
draw  for  the  sake  of  rescuing  the  historicity  of  the  latter.  It 
is  fortunately  not  needful  after  what  Kuenen  has  well  desig- 
nated "  the  pulverizing  criticism  "  of  Colenso,  to  perpetually 
reiterate  the  invidious  task  of  exhibiting  the  unhistorical  char- 
acter of  P  ;  but  it  is  needful  to  show  by  separation  of  the 
sources  that  we  are  not  dependent  upon  this  mere  mechanical, 
late  and  artificial  extract  from  JE,  intended  simply  as  a  frame- 
work to  the  priestly  law,  for  our  knowledge  of  ancient  Hebrew 
story. 

It  would  be  far  from  just  to  the  post-exilic  period  to  say 
that  the  religious  ideals  of  P  are  those  of  that  age.  On  the 
contrary  there  is  much  to  show,  that  alongside  of  this  rigid 
formalism  of  priestly  legality  and  hierocracy  something  of  the 
old  Deuteronomic,  and  even  the  prophetic,  type  of  thought 
continued  to  survive,  at  least  among  the  hills  of  ancient  Eph- 
raim.  But  in  the  circles  from  which  the  Priestly  Law-book 
comes  to  us  the  spirituality  of  ethical  religion,  and  the  idea  of 
direct  relations  of  man  to  God,  seem  to  have  died  out.  Still 
the  appearance  is  in  part  deceptive.  Israel  has  indeed  become 
a  priest-nation,  and  "  the  people  of  the  book,"  but  even  if  the 
spiritual,  ethical  monotheism  of  the  prophets  had  died  out 
among  the  people,  the  germ  of  its  resurrection  was  safely  en- 
shrined in  the  literature  so  cherished.  If  we  take  the  work  of 
P,  as  we  should,  as  throwing  light  upon  the  conditions  of  relig- 
ious thought  in  Judea  of  the  fifth  century  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that  this  light  is  thrown  only  upon  the  outside,  and  that 
underneath  this  frozen  surface  is  still  moving  the  deep,  still 
current  of  the  religious  consciousness  of  ancient  Judah  and 
Ephraira. 

In  passing  now  from  our  characterization  of  J,  E  and  P  to 
an  enquiry  into  their  history,  we  must  of  course  begin  with  the 
sources,  written  and  oral,  employed  in  their  make-up.  But  we 
need  not  delay  with  P,  since   the  narrative  parts  of  this  docu- 


xliv  INTRODUCTION. 

luent  sh"DW  no  traces  of  any  other  source  whatever  than  JE, 
though  a  possible  trace  of  Babylonian  influence  may  be  indi- 
cated by  its  divergences  from  J's  account  of  Creation  and 
Hood.  J  is  the  real  source  for  the  critical  historian,  supple- 
mented occasionally  (as  in  Num.  x.\i.,  I  Sam.  iv.-vi.,  xv.)  by  E  ; 
but  each  of  these  appears  to  be  based  upon  a  primitive  anthol- 
ogy, or  collection  of  national  ballad-lore,  of  its  own  ;  adding  to 
this  material  folk-tales  of  various  kinds,  and  at  least  two  very 
ancient  written  codes. 

Already  in  "The  Genesis  of  Genesis"  (p.  10-22,  61)  it  was 
pointed  out  that  "  the  fountains  of  minstrelsy  and  ballad-lore 
yet  flow  copiously  through  the  pages  of  J  and  E,"  though  not 
of  P  ;  and  some  phenomena  accompanying  the  transition  of 
historical  tradition  from  minstrelsy  to  prose  were  described. 
Have  we  now  the  means  of  forming  a  rational  conjecture  as  to 
the  character  and  content  of  these  most  primitive  sources? 

The  only  book  cited  by  name  in  j  is  the  Book  of  Jashar, 
from  which  we  have  extracts,  in  all  cases  songs  of  national  in- 
terest, in  Jos.  \.  i2f.  (Battle  of  Gibeon),  II  Sam.  i.  17-27  (Da- 
vid's elegy  on  Saul  and  Jonathan),  and  I  Kgs.  viii.  12  [53]  LXX- 
(Solomon's  Song  of  Dedication).  Unfortunately  the  exact 
significance  of  the  title  Jashar  ("  the  Upright  "  ?)  is  unknown, 
but  it  is  probable  that  it  contains,  as  is  so  often  the  case,  a  play 
upon  the  name  Israel,  like  the  term  Jcshurun.  So  far  as  it 
goes,  therefore,  this  would  confirm  the  indication  of  the  ex- 
tracts, that  the  book  was  a  collection  of  national  lyrics.  This 
may  seem  a  slender  basis  for  conjecture,  but  it  indicates  that 
the  collection  was  at  least  as  late  as  the  reign  of  Solomon — 
very  likely  of  that  reign  ;  that  it  covered  in  extent  at  least  the 
entire  period  from  the  conquest  to  the  building  of  the  temple, 
and  contained  one,  and  probably  two,  if  not  more,  authentic 
poems  of  David  (add  the  Elegy  of  Abner,  II  Sam.  iii.  33f.), 
looking  with  favor  on  Solomon's  temple.  When  we  consider 
the  broadly  national  character  of  J's  great  poems,  Blessings  of 
Xoah,  Isaac,  Jacob,  l^daam,  Moses  ;  Songs  of  Lamech,  Moses, 
Joshua,  Deborah  and  P.arak,  David,  Solomon;  and  the  fragments 
of   similar  lyrics  which  form  the  nucleus  of  a    large    proportion 


INTRODUCTION.  xlv 

of  his  narratives,  and  compare  with  these  the  general  spirit  of 
the  document,  it  does  not  seem  an  improbable  supposition  in 
view  of  the  known  structure  of  other  Semitic  histories,  that 
these  ancient  national  lyrics  were  all  derived  from  the  same 
anthology,  in  short  that  the  Book  of  Jashar-Jsrael  underlies  the 
history  of  J  throughout  its  whole  extent,  and  that  it  suggested 
to  its  author  the  form  of  his  history  of  Israel,  J  impressing  upon 
it  Its  religious  character. 

The  only  other  written  source  quoted  by  J  is  a  brief  code, 
summing  up  in  "  Ten  Words  "  the  religious  duties  of  the  lay 
Israelite.  J  calls  it  "  The  Words  of  the  Covenant,"  and  de- 
clares them  to  have  been  written  by  Moses  on  "  tables  of 
stones  "  on  Sinai.  Curiously  we  have  fragments  of  the  same 
code  in  a  somewhat  later,  but  substantially  identical  form,  in  E  ; 
here  it  is  called  "  The  Book  of  the  Covenant  "  and  is  said  to 
have  been  written  by  Moses  at  Horeb,  though  the  material 
employed  is  not  stated.*  Neither  writer  professes  to  have  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  this  autograph  of  Moses  (or  of  God)  and 
though  their  words  would  seem  to  indicate  the  existence  of 
written  copies  of  this  primitive  code,  the  very  diversity  of  their 
versions  proves  that  they  did  not  have  recourse  to  the  same 
original. 

E  seems  to  have  had  at  command  a  collection  of  national 
lyrics  to  some  extent  parallel  to  J's.  In  this  case  we  learn 
more  from  the  title,  but  much  less  from  the  single  extract  cited 
from  the  anthology  by  name.  The  Book  of  the  Wars  of  Yah- 
7vc/i  shows  by  its  title  that  it  possessed  the  same  patriotic  char- 
acter we  have  attributed  to  the  Book  of.  Jashar,  and  was  very 
likely  the  collection  which  in  Ephraim  had  come  to  take  the 
place  of  the  former,  as  better  agreeing  with  northern  ideas. 
Its  title  also  shows  that  the  practice  of  E  in  the  elohistic  parts 
of  Exodus  and  the  later  books  in   regard   to  the  divine  name, 

*  In  my  judgment  these  ritual  Ten  Words  must  have  occupied  in  E^ — see 
below — the  position  now  given  by  E-  to  the  later  ethical  "  Ten  Words  "  of  Ex. 
XX.;  in  other  words  Ex.  xxiv.  12-14  applied  originally  to  them,  so  that  E^ 
agreed  with  J  as  to  the  vexed  question,  What  was  written  on  the  two  tables  of 
stone. 


Xlvi  INTRODUCTION. 

was  not  that  of  all  his  sources,  if  of  any,  and  confirms  our 
view  that  it  is  more  of  a  redactional  than  of  a  spontaneous 
character.  As  to  the  contents  of  this  work  we  have  certain 
knowledge  regarding  only  the  single  extract  Num.  xxi.  i4f., 
as  to  the  border  of  Moab  ;  but  the  proximity  of  the  ensuing 
extract  in  vv.  27-30  has  led  nearly  all  critics  to  infer  that  the 
song  of  the  "  taunting  poets "  over  the  ruin  of  Moab  was 
drawn  from  the  same  source,  if  not  the  same  poem.  This 
further  description  in  vs.  27  of  the  class  of  poems  to  which  the 
ensuing  extract  belongs  is  a  further  indication  of  at  least  one 
group  in  the  collection.  It  contained  the  songs  of  exultation 
over  fallen  enemies,  which  the  spirit  of  the  times  regarded  as 
worthy  fruits  of  poetic  genius.  A  magnificent  example  is  the 
ode  of  exultation  over  the  fallen  king  of  Babylon  in  Is.  xiv,, 
where  the  term  "  taunting  poem  "  {inashat)  is  translated  by  the 
Revisers  "  parable  "  (vs.  4).  Another  eminent  example  of  this 
class  which  could  not  be  omitted  from  any  collection,  least  of 
all  from  a  book  of  the  Wars  of  Yahweh,  is  the  Song  of  "  Mir- 
iam the  prophetess,"  Ex.  xv.  2of.  ;  and  here  we  doubtless  have 
not  merely  one  of  the  poems  contained  in  each  anthology,  but 
probably  the  first  selection  of  E's  collection  (cf.  vs.  3  ?)  ;  at 
least  this  was  necessarily  the  first  of  the  "  wars  of  Yahweh." 

It  requires  but  a  very  reasonable  supposition  to  include  in  this 
collection  the  story  of  "Yahweh's  war  with  Amalek  "  in  the 
poetic  citation  Ex.  xvii.  16  ;  for  this  also  the  present  historian 
found  "  written  in  a  book,''  which  it  would  be  natural  to 
identify  with  the  "  Book  of  the  Wars  of  Yahweh."  Its  sequel, 
then,  in  I  Sam.  xv.,  where  the  same  poetic  structure  is  plainly 
visible  in  vv.  22f.,  must  also  have  formed  part  of  the  collection  ; 
nor  will  the  reference  to  Agagin  J's  version  of  the  Blessing  of 
Balaam  Num.  xxiv.  7  appear  any  longer  strange,  when  we 
reflect  that  E's  parallel  to  this  poem,  which  from  its  wide 
divergence  cannot  possibly  have  been  taken  from  J'santhology, 
would  naturally  come  from  that  same  Book  of  the  Wars  of  Yah- 
weh from  which  he  drew  the  extracts  of  the  preceding  chapter. 
It  may  seem  to  us  a  little  hard  to  bring  Balaam's  oracle  under 
the  title  "  the  Wars  of  Yahweh  "  ;  but  to  K  the  episode  belongs 


INTRODUCTION,  xlvii 

in  this  category,  for  in  Jos.  xxiv.  9  lie  writes  :  "Then  Balak  the 
son  of  Zippor,  king  of  Moab  arose  and  fought  against  Israel  ; 
and  he  sent  and  called  Balaam,"  etc. 

It  is  thus  not  impossible  to  obtain  a  reasonably  trustworthy 
idea  of  the  character  and  contents  of  each  of  the  primitive 
anthologies.  E's  more  limited,  and  perhaps  later  collection 
probably  did  not  go  much  back  of  the  Exodus,  but  must  have 
been  similar  in  character  and  content  to  the  Book  of  Jashar, 
sometimes  in  verbal  agreement  (cf.  Ex.  xv.  i  with  vs.  21).  As 
with  J,  the  anthology  doubtless  suggested  much  of  the  form 
and  character  of  the  prose  history  based  upon  it. 

The  most  important  prose  source  of  the  preexilic  writers  is 
E's  Book  of  Judgments,  whose  character  has  been  widely  dis- 
cussed in  special  treatises  by  Rothstein,  Baentzsch  and  others.* 
If,  as  we  conjecture,  it  was  incorporated  by  E  in  Moses'  fare- 
well discourse,  and  was  the  law  of  which  he  declares  that 
Moses  commanded  the  elders  of  Israel,  after  its  formal  promul- 
gation and  enactment  by  the  people  on  mount  Ebal,  to  inscribe 
it  on  stone  stelae  there,  it  corresponds  to  the  traditional 
Roman  Laws  of  the  Twelve  Tables,  a  charter  of  popular 
rights  publicly  recorded.  Its  inestimable  value  to  the  histo- 
rian of  ancient  Israel  is  self-evident,  though  its  character 
shows  it  to  have  grown  up  after  Israel  had  become  settled  in 
a  fixed  agricultural  civilization.  The  religious  standpoint  (xxii. 
20)  seems  to  presuppose  the  work  of  Elijah  and  Jehu.  It 
does  not  require  a  great  effort  to  imagine  Jehu  himself  erect- 
ing the  stelae  in  question. 

The  oral  sources  of  J  and  E  are  folk-tales  of  various  kinds, 
which  might  be  classified  as  aetiologies,  clan-stories  (historical 
and  ethnological)  and  historical  tradition.     We  can  indeed  trace 

*  I  regret  exceedingly  that  the  essay  of  Prof.  Lewis  B.  Paton,  of  Hartford, 
Ct.,  in  the  "Journal  of  Bibl.  Lit,"  on  The  Original  Form  of  the  Book  of  the 
Covenant  has  reached  me  only  in  time  for  mention  in  this  note.  His  conclu- 
sions are  most  interesting  and  his  investigation  worthy  of  study.  But  a  separa- 
tion of  the  Book  of  Judgments  from  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  still  seems  to 
me  necessary,  if  only  to  account  for  the  extraordinary  position  of  the  civil 
"judgments"  Ex.  xxi.f.  between  the  two  halves  of  a  religious  code,  Ex.  xx.  23- 
26;  and  xxii.  27 — xxiii.  19. 


xlviii  INTRODUCTION. 

the  presence,  though  we  cannot  extricate  the  material,  of  a  writ- 
ten source  in  J's  admirable  history  of  the  reigns  of  Saul  and 
David.  But  even  this,  on  close  inspection,  reveals  the  marks  of 
the  popular  story-teller  sitting  in  the  city-gate.  If  written  in  the 
form  transmitted  to  J,  its  earliest  form  was  oral.  The  earlier 
narratives  are  of  course  to  a  large  degree  legendary,  sometimes  a 
fragment  of  ancient  song,  sometimes  the  suggestive  name  of  a 
locality  Massah,  Meribah,  Kibroth-hattaavah,  Kadesh,  Hor- 
mah,  Lehi,  giving  rise,  by  fanciful  etymologies,  to  fantastic 
developments  in  the  story.  Again  the  local  traditions  of  a 
particular  revered  object.  "  pillar,"  sacred  tree,  altar,  or  well, 
the  Nehushtan  of  Jerusalem  (II  Kings  xviii.  4)  the  local  sanctu- 
aries of  Palestine,  have  contributed  their  full  share.  The 
tribal  and  clan-stories  include  such  material  as  the  genealo- 
gies of  J,  the  Joseph-legend  of  E,  the  story  of  the  stocks  of 
Judah  in  Clen.  xxxviii.  and  the  Calebite  tradition  in  Num.  xiiif., 
Jos.  xiv.  6-15  ;  XV.  13-19;  Jud.  i,  10-15.  But  certainly  one  of 
the  most  important  classes  of  primitive,  quasi-historical  tradi- 
tion is  that  connected  with  the  sacred  feasts.  Here  the  recital 
of  the  traditional  history  was  made  a  part  of  the  ritual  (Ex. 
xii.  26  ;  xiii.  14  ;  l)t.  xxvi.  5ff.),  and  although  the  feasts  are 
doubtless  older  than  the  historical  events  they  are  employed  to 
commemorate,  J  even  preserving  a  trace  of  this  real  relation  in 
his  story  of  the  Exodus,  where  Israel  demands  release  ///  order 
to  celebrate  the  feast,  still  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  for  ages 
the  story  of  the  Plagues  of  Egypt  and  the  Deliverance  from 
the  House  of  Bondage  has  been  told,  and  had  been  even  in  J's 
time,  at  the  annual  celebration  of  the  Passover.  Whether  the 
story  of  ihc  Law-giving  at  Sinai  was  likewise  told  at  the  Feast 
of  Weeks  it  is  not  so  easy  to  say.  The  Feast  of  Ingathering 
naturally  retained  its  original  agricultural  character. 


With  such  materials  we  may  imagine  a  priest  of  Solomon's 
t.'inple  of  about  the  period  of  Jehoiada,  and  doubtless  of  simi- 
lar character  and  standing,  compiling  the  Judean  History  of  the 
Covenant  people  of  Vahweh,  under  the  impulse  of  the  great 
Valnvistir  ri'volution.      In    like    manner   in    Kphraim    the   same 


INTRODUCTION.  xlix 

plan  was  followed  somewhat  later,  with  very  similar  materials, 
by  an  intense  devotee  of  that  great  school  of  prophets  which 
had  inaugurated  the  movement.  A  man  of  the  type  of  Hosea 
gives  to  us  the  very  embodiment  of  the  prophetic  ideals  of 
that  period  in  this  Ephraimite  History  of  the  Theocratic  Suc- 
cession. Two  such  monuments  of  the  great  religious  move- 
ment preceding  the  age  of  written  prophecy  could  not  fail  to 
become  the  nucleus  of  an  increasing  aggregate  of  "  Mosaic " 
thought.  In  fact  critics  are  almost  unanimous  in  tracing  in 
both  J  and  E  the  marks  of  repeated  editings  of  the  original 
works. 

The  presence  of  a  J'^  in  Genesis,  who  has  materially  raised 
the  moral  tone  of  J^  by  his  additions,  was  noted  in  the  preced- 
ing volume.  The  most  important  addition  is  the  grafting  in 
from  Assyro-Babylonian  sources  upon  the  ancient  Hebrew 
stock  of  the  great  Flood-legend,  with  some  accompanying  geo- 
graphic and  ethnographic  data  of  a  learned  character.  In  the 
intercession  of  Abram,  Gen.  xviii.  17-19,  23-33,  'ts  character 
appears  as  much  more  reverential  toward  Yahweh,  and  if  Kue- 
nen  is  right  in  attributing-  to  it  the  story  of  Potiphar's  wife. 
Gen.  xxxix.,  its  author  would  seem  to  have  drawn,  not  only 
upon  Assyrian,  but  also  upon  Egyptian  literature  for  morally 
edifying  material.  The  genealogy  of  the  Horites,  xxxvi.  10- 
39,  is  perhaps  part  of  the  same  enrichment  ;  xxvi.  i,  which 
refers  to  xii.  10-20  J-,  yet  pays  no  attention  to  the  much  nearer 
and  more  striking  parallel  ch.  xx.,  indicates  that  it  preceded 
the  union  of  J  and  E.  The  phenomena  lead  Budde  to  regard 
this  as  a  quasi-official  revision  emanating  from  the  highest 
quarter,  perhaps  about  the  time  of  Ahaz,  a  date  for  which  there 
is  some  internal  confirmation. 

That  this  revision  extended  to  the  later  books  is  not  only  an  a 
priori  probability,  but  seems  to  be  indicated  by  the  text  itself. 
A  revising  hand  has  certainly  retouched  the  Plague  narratives 
quite  independently  of  harmonistic  or  Deuteronomic  require- 
ment. Further,  in  the  intercessory  interviews  of  Moses  and 
Joshua  in  J,  Ex.  iv.  10-13;  xxxii.  7-14;  xxxiii.  12 — xxxiv.  9; 
Num.  xiv.  11-24  ;  Jos.  vii.  7-9  ;  we  have  not  only  a  very  remark- 


1  INTRODUCTION. 

able  coincidence  of  representation  with  Gen.  xviii.  20-33,  but  a 
marked  resemblance  to  J^  in  language  (cf.  e.  g.  Ex.  xxxii.  12,  14 
with  Gen.  vi.  6f.  ;  Ex.  xxxiii.  13,  with  Gen.  xviii.  19,  and  Ex. 
xxxiv.  9  with  Gen.  xviii.  30,  32.).  Dt.  xxxiii.  i3a/'-i6  also  im- 
presses me  as  interpolated  by  J-,  and  the  legislative  sections 
bear  still  clearer  evidence  of  supplementation.  Nevertheless, 
I  have  thought  it  wiser  to  refrain  as  yet  from  the  attempt  to 
systematically  distinguish  between  J^  and  J"'^,  and  even  in  E, 
where  the  discrimination  is  easier,  the  present  volume  makes 
but  little  use  of  the  theoretic  typographical  distinction. 

In  the  later  books  it  is  E  which  gives  the  clearest  indications 
of  having  undergone  revision  and  supplementation,  as  in  Gen- 
esis we  found  it  the  case  with  J.  In  fact  those  portions  of  E 
which  most  strongly  affect  its  present  form  and  character,  bear 
positive  marks  of  the  terrible  period  of  depression  after  the 
fall  of  Samaria,  whereas  the  great  mass  of  the  work  has  too 
much  of  the  proud  consciousness  of  national  glory  to  be  de- 
rived from  that  period  of  humiliation  and  gloom.  Moreover, 
there  is  no  explanation  of  E's  use  of  the  name  Elohim  in  long, 
connected  passages  after  Ex.  iii,  except  from  habit,  independ- 
ent of  the  theoretical  gxoviXidi'&  on  which  Elohim  is  made  uniform 
up  to  Ex.  iii.,  while  Yahweh  is  generally  used  thereafter.  The 
hand  which  follows  the  latter  course  cannot  therefore  be  the 
same  as  that  with  which  the  use  of  Elohim  is  habitual,  or  rests 
on  unknown  grounds.  The  Book  of  the  Wars  of  Yahweh  did 
not  follow  this  elohistic  practise  ;  hence  it  cannot  well  be  de- 
rived from  any  other  than  t\\^  older  element  of  E,  an  element 
which  in  at  least  one  instance  lies  plainly  embedded  in  the 
later  malcrial,  viz.  1  Sam.  i-viii.  where  chh.  iv.-vi.  are  required 
by,  but  ilo  not  ihemselvcs  presuppose  chh.  i.-iii.  viif.  An  ad- 
mirable discussion  of  their  relation  may  be  found  in  Budde's 
Richter  und  Samuel,  Giesseu,  1890,  p.  193-198.  As  to  the  evi- 
dence for  a  revision  of  E  we  cannot  do  better  than  to  quote 
here  the  synopsis  of  one  of  the  clearest,  keenest  and  most 
judicious  of  analytical  critics  : — 

"It  is  the  merit  of  Kuenen  to  have  first  propounded  tliis  problem  for  the 
whole  extent  of  K,  and    to  have  carried  it  into  detail :  he  reaches   the  result, 


INTRODUCTION.  H 

Hex.  §  1311.  25  and  26,  that  in  the  7th  century  an  edition  of  E  was  prepared  for 
Judaea  (E-),  because  the  substance  of  the  work,  E^  could  not  permanently  sat- 
isfy the  requirements  then  existent  there  and  gradually  changing.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  assume  that  this  E^  was  prepared  by  a  Judaean  hand,  since  not  all 
of  Ephraim  was  deported  in  722,  and  nothing  compels  us  to  assume  the  com- 
plete extinction  of  intellectual  life  among  those  left  in  the  land  :  it  would  seem 
to  me  more  natural  to  look  for  the  origin  of  E'-^  in  these  very  circles.  Kuenen 
claims  first  for  E^  the  entire  first  Decalogue  [Ex.  xx.]  with  the  kindred  narra- 
tive parts  belonging  to  it  in  Ex.  xi.x.-xxiv.  and  the  inseparable  story  of  the  gol- 
den calf  Ex.  xxxii.  i-xxxiii.  6.  The  latter  offers  the  true  point  of  departure.  In 
this  narrative  there  appears  a  palpable  prophetic  rejection  of  the  cultus  of 
Ephraim,  '  the  calves  of  Dan  and  Bethel,'  given  in  the  name  of  Moses  himself. 
But  this  is  insupposable  at  the  hand  of  the  same  writer  who  takes  such  relig- 
ious delight  in  relating  the  theophanies  at  these  ancient  sanctuaries,  subse- 
quently abhorred  by  the  prophets,  and  who  in  particular  connects  the 
consecration  of  the  sanctuary  at  Bethel  with  a  glorious  theophany,  and  mani- 
festly regards  Bethel  as  the  proper  central  sanctuary  of  Jacob,  at  which  all 
Israel  should  pay  tithes  of  what  Yahweh  has  given  them.  Above  all  if  the 
words  Ex.  xxxii.  34b  refer  to  the  Assyrian  Exile  as  a  punishment  for  the  calf- 
worship  of  Samaria,  this  trait  at  least  would  necessarily  form  part  of  a  revis- 
ion later  than  722.  It  is  self-evident  that  the  story  of  the  golden  calf  stands 
in  inseparable  connection  with  the  legislation  of  the  first  Decalogue,  whence 
the  latter  also  could  not  be  from  E^.  When  now  we  observe  that  none  of  the 
older  prophets  who  inveigh  against  idol-worship  appeals  to  the  Decalogue,  and 
that  the  sole  trace  in  the  older  literature  of  acquaintance  with  this  Decalogue, 
in  Hos.  iv.  2.  is  robbed  of  significance  by  its  diverse  order  and  terminology  for 
the  sins,  we  must  admit  the  force  of  Kuenen's  reasoning.  Other  signs  corrob- 
orate. The  representation  of  the  departure  from  Horeb  to  the  promised  land 
as  a  punishment,  and  the  sanctuary  of  the  ark  a  substitute,  because  Israel  was 
not  yet  ripe  for  the  pure  religion  of  the  Decalogue,  cannot  possibly  have  been 
the  sense  of  the  original  tradition,  to  which  the  ark  was  the  visible  pledge  of 
Yahweh's  gracious  aid  [of.  I  Sam.  iv.-vi.]  and  their  bringing  in  to  Canaan  a 
kindness  of  the  mighty  national  Deity  [cf.  Ex.  xiii.  17-19]  ....  Kuenen  fur- 
ther attributes  to  E-  Num.  xi.  14,  i6f.  24b-30,  and  ch.  xii.  in  its  present  form. 
The  story  of  Num.  xi.  I4ff.  has  no  connection  whatever  with  its  present  con- 
text, and  is  also  difficult  to  reconcile  with  Ex.  xviii.,  the  more  so,  if,  as  would 
appear  from  Dt.  i.,  Ex.  xviii.  originally  stood  after  the  breaking  camp  from 
Horeb  [but  cf.  xviii.  5],  therefore  in  almost  the  very  spot  of  Num.  xi.  The  70 
elders  are  derived  from  E.x.  xxiv.  if.  9-1 1  E^,  and  the  dependence  on  Ex.  xviii. 
is  also  manifest;  cf.  Nu.  xi.  14  with  Ex.  xviii.  i8b,  22b.  Accordingly  we  have 
in  Nu.  xi.  I4ff.  a  specifically  projihetic  parallel  to,  or  rather  modification  of  Ex. 
xyiii.,  El ;  and  by  this  assumjition  all  difficulties  are  removed.  Nu.  xii.  also  is 
not  a  uniform  story.  After  Miriam  and  Aaron  have  found  fault  with  Moses 
because  he  had  married  a  Cnshite,  we  do  not  expect  a  settlement  of  the  question 


lii  INTRODUCTION. 

whether  Moses  alone  is  possessed  of  the  prophetic  spirit :  vv.  2-8  accordingly 
must  also  be  attributed  to  E-,  and  in  these  and  Nu.  xi.  I4ff.  we  have  "two 
mutually  related  studies  of  prophetism."  Kuenen  further  adduces  Nu.  xxi.  32- 
35,  as  an  expansion  of  E',  though  perhaps  not  derived  from  E^,  a  passage 
which  Wellhausen,  Comp.  p.iii,  had  recognized  as  a  supplement:  it  developed 
from  the  idea  that  the  whole  country  east  of  Jordan  had  been  conquered  by 
Moses,  whereas  in  E^  only  the  tribes  of  Reuben  and  Gad  are  concerned.  I 
should  myself  attribute  to  E'^  the  E  form  [Z.  A.  W.  xi.  1-15)  of  the  story  Gen. 
xxxiv.  It  is  hard  to  reconcile  with  Gen.  xlviii.  2jf.  (certainly  E')  and  on  the 
other  hand  this  very  question  of  social  and  connubial  relations  between  Israel- 
ites and  heathen  was  of  great  practical  significance  to  the  northTsraelites  left 
behind  in  a  land  flooded  with  foreign  colonists.  One  is  tempted,  in  spite  of 
Jos.  xxiv.  2,  to  attribute  Gen.  xxxv.  1-4  also  to  E'-;  since  it  scarcely  agrees  with 
the  original  character  of  the  tradition,  to  conceive  Jacob's  wives,  who  even  in 
E,  ch.  XXX.,  give  names  to  their  sons  after  the  manner  of  genuine,  devout  moth- 
ers in  Israel,  as  practical  heathen  :  this  is  scholastic  reflection,  on  the  same 
plane  with  Laban's  use  of  a  foreign  tongue  xx.\i.  47.  It  agrees  with  these 
results  when  Lagarde  maintains,  Mittheilungeii  III.  226-229,  on  the  ground  of 
the  uniform  employment  of  Elohim,  and  the  Egyptian  names  occurring  in  Gen. 
xli.,  that  E  belongs  "  in  the  seventh  century,"  and  was  a  contemporary  of 
Psammetichus  I.  664-610  H.  c.  These  portions  of  Genesis  also  would  then 
be  attributable  to  E^.  We  reach  therefore  the  result,  that  E^  was  written  in 
the  time  of  Jeroboam  II.  ca.  750,  and  about  a  century  later  was  revised  either 
by  a  J  udean,  or  by  one  of  the  remaining  north-Israelites,  on  the  basis  of  that 
development  of  theological  views  effected  by  the  great  literarv  propiiets  (Corn- 
ill,  i^:////.  p.  48ff.), 

It  seems  to  me  proljable  that  further  investigation  will  reveal 
a  more  drastic  revision  on  the  part  of  Iv,  ]xirticularlv  in  the 
legislative  sections  ;  and  if  we  may  attribute  to  it  the 
systematic  use  of  Klohim  in  Genesis  and  Vahweh  after  Kx.  iii.,  it 
determined  the  present  form  of  Kx.  iii.  10-14.  '''l^t?  character 
of  this  redaction,  however,  is  clear.  It  intensifies  the  theocratic 
and  pr()|)hetit-  tcndc/r.  of    I^^- 

The  amalgauKition  of  j  with  E  soon  after  the  unification  of 
Kphraim  with  Judah  under  the  Davidic  kings  in  Jerusalem  was 
most  natural.  'I'he  cause  of  prophet  and  priest  was  substan- 
tially the  same,  and  Judah  gained  ciuite  as  much  from  the  infu- 
sion of  the  projihetic  spirit  of  Ephraim,  as  ]':i)hraim  from  the 
more  i)riestly  religious  feeling  of  Judah. 

It    is   apparent    from   the   use   made    of    11-:   in  both  Dand    P 


INTRODUCTION.  Hii 

that  the  two  primitive  documents  had  already  been  interlaced 
previous  to  620  b.  c.  ;  hence  we  are  safe  in  attributing  in  gen- 
eral the  passages  whose  sole  object  appears  to  be  the  adjust- 
ment of  J  and  E  to  one  another  to  this  early  redactor  Rje. 
When  we  come  to  set  them  side  by  side  we  gain  a  curious  in- 
sight into  his  method.  The  process  of  harmonization  was  of 
the  simplest  and  most  transparent.  J's  work  was  of  course 
made  the  basis,  both  as  fuller,  and  generally  as  more  suited  to 
the  Judean  feeling  of  Rje;  though  in  Gen.  xxxiv.,  Ex.  xix.- 
xxxiv.  E^  whose  work  represents  the  thought  of  Rje's  own 
period,  was  naturally  preferred.  Examples  of  Rje's  "  harmo- 
nistics  "  in  Genesis  are  xxvi.  15  and  18,  xxxix.  iha,  2oag.  Strik- 
ingly similar  in  simplicity  of  design  are  the  clause  "  after  he 
had  sent  her  away  "  Ex.  xviii.  2,  the  curious  verse  xix.  23,  and 
the  generally  successful  interlacing  of  the  J  and  E  versions  of 
the  Balaam-story.  But  if  we  accept  the  very  probable  conclu- 
sions of  Cornill  (p.  81),  by  far  the  most  radical  part  of  Rje's 
work  affected  the  Smai-Horeb  chapters  from  Ex.  xviii.  to  Num. 
xii.  It  was  the  omission  of  J's  version  of  the  Covenant  in  Ex. 
xxxiv.  (save  for  the  enrichment  of  E's  version  in  xxiii.  15-19) 
and  the  interweavmg  of  J  and  E  in  Num.  xi.  with  its  conse- 
quences. In  our  Analysis  3  of  §  iv.  we  have  endeavored  to 
follow  the  intricate  processes  of  omission  and  combination,  re- 
incorporation and  readjustment,  which  have  involved  these 
chapters  in  such  strange  confusion. 

The  work  of  Rje  does  not  affect  Deuteronomy,  but  reappears 
of  course  in  the  further  course  of  the  narratives  J  and  E.  This 
indicates  as  the  necessary  date  of  the  revision  the  period 
between  Y?  (650  ?)  and  the  origin  of  Deuteronomy  (620  b.  c). 
Cornill  and  other  critics  generally,  including  Dillmann,  main- 
tain that  the  phenomena  of  Deuteronomy  and  its  two  envelopes, 
Dh  and  Dp  prove  that  these  writers  still  possessed,  in  addition 
to  JE,  the  separate  document  E.  We  have,  however,  a  differ- 
ent explanation  of  the  E  tinge  in  Deuteronomy,  which  does 
not  require  the  rather  improbable  assumption  that  the  Deuter- 
onomists  took  the  pains  to  compare  JE  with  one  of  its  original 
sources. 


liv  INTRODUCTION. 

The  appearance  of  Deuteronomy  in  621  b.  c.  and  the  tremen- 
dous revolution  it  effected  in  the  life  of  the  nation  through  the 
reforms  of  Josiah  and  the  prolonged  influence  of  the  Exile, 
marks  an  epoch  but  little,  if  at  all,  inferior  in  importance  to  the 
Yahwistic  revolution  of  Elijah  and  his  successors.  By  the  time 
of  the  first  return  under  Joshua  and  Zerubbabel  in  555  the 
whole  life  of  the  nation  had  been  transformed  by  it,  the  great 
exilic  prophets  having  continuously  labored  from  its  standpoint. 
For  still  another  entire  century  the  Deuteronomic  law  con- 
tinued to  be  the  sacred  canon  of  the  Jews,  and  it  was  inevita- 
ble that  this  all-important  legislation  should  ultimately  attract, 
to  itself  the  preexisting  sacred  history,  precisely  as  the  Priestly 
Code,  once  canonized,  was  soon  amalgamated  with  JED.  The 
history  of  the  Deuteronomic  Code  from  621  to  444  b.  c.  would 
almost  parallel  in  importance  the  history  of  the  nation  and  of 
its  great  prophets  during  this,  the  critical  period  of  its  life. 
Here  we  can  of  course  only  pres.ent  an  outline  of  what  appears 
from  the  present  structure  of  Deuteronomy  and  from  the  so- 
called  Deuteronomic  redaction  (Rd). 

During  the  Exile  the  Deuteronomic  Code  seems  to  have  cir- 
culated simultaneously  in  two  different  settings,  each  of  which 
in  its  own  way  served  to  give  it  the  necessary  historical  back- 
ground, though  they  agreed  in  the  representation  of  the  whole 
as  a  farewell  discourse  of  Moses  to  Israel  on  the  plains  of  Shit- 
tim,  communicating  the  oral  law  received  on  Horeb.  That 
form  of  Deuteronomy  which  enclosed  the  code  in  a  parccnetic 
or  preachifii^  envelope,  refers  to  it  as  an  already  written  and  pub- 
lished book.  This  introduction  and  appendix  is  designated 
Dp  ;  the  discussion  of  it  is  here  inappropriate.  Its  rival  makes 
the  discourse  of  Moses  a  recapitulation  of  the  history,  strongly 
tinged  by  E's  phraseology  and  ideas,  though  based  upon  JE  as 
combined  (cf.  Dt.  i.  23-26  with  JE  and  E  in  Num.  xiii.f.),  and 
represents  Moses  as  speaker  throughout.  Our  own  theory  of 
the  E  tinge  is  that  both  Dp  and  Dh  took  the  idea  of  d.  farewell 
discourse  of  Moses  as  the  true  setting  for  the  Code,  from  the 
fact  that  JE's  Story  of  the  Exodus  then  concluded  with  a  recap- 
itulatory farewell  discourse  of  Moses  of  the  usual  form  of  E  (cf. 


INTRODUCTION.  Iv 

Jos.  xxiv.)  embodying  the  Book  of  Judgments  ;  but  Dh  has  fol- 
lowed the  model  much  more  closely  than  Dp.  The  latter,  in  fact, 
dwells  purely  in  the  field  of  present-day  sermonic  exhortation. 
When  now  Deuteronomy  was  at  last  attached  to  JE,  the  com- 
piler, Rd,  not  only  took  up  both  envelopes  of  the  code,  com- 
bining them  as  best  he  could,  but  rescued  the  Book  of  Judg- 
ments by  giving  it  a  place  in  Ex.  xxif.,  and,  loath  to  lose  any 
historical  material  in  the  process,  attached  the  fragments  of 
E's  Urdenterotiomiiim  where  he  could  find  a  place  for  them  (see 
Prolegomena  to  §  vii.).  This  is  not  mere  free-hand  conjecture, 
for  the  method  of  Rd  has  been  traced  elsewhere,  and  in  all 
cases,  Exodus,  Joshua,  Judges,  I  and  II  Samuel  it  is  marked 
by  an  apparent  determination  to  rescue  at  almost  any  cost  of 
incongruity  in  the  resultant  complex,  the  surviving  fragments 
of  the  preexilic  literature.  To  Rd,  or  rather  to  one  of  the 
later  hands  of  this  long  continued  school,  according  to  Budde 
and  Cornill,  we  owe  the  reincorporation  of  much  important  mate- 
rial rejected  by  Rje,  or  earlier  Deuteronomic  hands.  This 
seems  to  be  the  history  of  J's  version  of  the  Words  of  the  Cov- 
enant, Ex.  xxxiv.;  of  the  E  fragments  in  Dt.  i.  i  ;  x.  6f.  ;  xxv.  17 
-19  ;  xxvii.  1-8,  11-13  ;  xxxi.  i4f.;  23  ;  of  Jud.  i.  and  the  con- 
cluding chh.  of  the  book  ;  and  of  nearly  one-fourth  of  the 
entire  bulk  of  I  and  II  Samuel.  Although  when  first  pro- 
pounded by  Budde  in  the  case  of  the  older  elements  of  J  in 
Gen.  i.  -xii.  this  theory  of  reincorporation  was  met  almost  with 
ridicule  by  so  great  a  critic  as  Kuenen,  who  borrowed  from 
Darwin  the  term  "  survival  "  to  describe  it,  such  a  "  theory  of 
survivals  "  is  really  the  reverse  of  improbable  or  unexampled 
A  noted  New  Testament  instance  appears,  in  fact,  in  the  story 
of  the  adulterous  woman,  John  viii.  iff.  For  when  a  redactor 
for  any  reason  strikes  out  a  passage  in  the  copy  of  a  work  in 
his  possession,  there  must  remain  of  necessity  a  considerable 
number  of  copies  of  the  same  work,  not  in  his  possession,  in 
which  it  still  subsists.  When  now  the  new  and  (generally)  en- 
larged edition  begins  to  supersede  the  older  and  less  popular, 
there  is  a  very  strong  tendency  for  anything  omitted,  if  not 
very  palpably  superfluous,  or  otherwise  objectio'nable,  to  find  its 


Ivi  INTRODUCTION. 

way  back  ;  the  constant  tendency  of  ancient  writings  being  to 
accumulate. 

We  can  scarcely  assign  a  limit  to  the  Deuteronomic  redac- 
tion ;  for  processes  exhibiting  its  principles,  standpoint  and 
style  continued  to  affect  the  text  down  to  a  date  even  subse- 
quent to  the  Greek  translation.  It  appears  thus  as  partly  con- 
temporaneous with  the  priestly,  and  sometimes  presupposes  the 
priestly  elements,  as  in  Num.  xxxii.  Qff.  ;  *  (Dt.  iv.  ?)  Jos.  xx.  4- 
6  (wanting  in  LXX). 

The  most  important  work  of  Rd  was  the  combination  of  the 
Deuteronomic  Code,  inclosed  in  its  double  setting,  with  JE  ; 
and  this  of  course  necessitated  thorough  revision  of  the  earlier 
legislation  (though  (ienesis  could  be  left  untouched  save  in 
xxvi.  5);  some  adjustment  of  the  preceding  narrative  {zi.  e.  g. 
Num.  xxi.  33-35  with  Dt.  iii.  1-3  and  Num.  xxxii.  with  Jos. 
xxii.),  and  a  drastic  working  over  of  the  subsequent  narrative, 
as  supposedly  controlled  by  the  Deuteronomic  law.  The  at- 
tachment of  the  Song  of  Moses  Dt.  xxxii.  1-43,  while  doubtless 
preceding  Rp,  seems  to  have  been  subsequent  to  this  work  of 
combination  by  Rd,  for  it  is  provided  with  an  independent 
introduction  and  subscript  in  xxxi.  16-22;  xxxii.  44.  Its  con- 
sideration belongs  therefore  with  the  history  of  Deuteronomy. 

Ezra's  "book  of  the  law  of  his  God"  which  he  came  author- 
ized by  the  Persian  government  to  introduce  in  the  feeble  col- 
ony at  Jerusalem,  and  which  was  ultimately  solemnly  enacted 
there,  was  almost  certainly  a  priestly  code,  pure  and  simple, 
which  was  not  amalgamated  until  later  with  the  preexisting 
Deuteronomic  Tonih]YA^.  This  final  process  of  redaction  was 
of  course  not  undertaken  until  Ezra's  Law-book  had  itself 
undergone  the  necessary  and  inevitable  processes  of  supple- 
mentation and  adjustment  to  practical  requirement  which  any 
complete  system  of  law  is  sure  to  undergo.  The  most  impor- 
tant addition  of  Rj)  lo  I*-  was  the  preexisting  priestly  Torah, 
the  Law  of  Holiness  (1"),  the  greater  jKirt  of  which  now  forms 
the  nucleus  of  Leviti'n^   m   chh.   xvii.-xxvi.     Olher  antl   exten- 

•  Indicaled  in  tlic  text  hv  in<-  u-r  .n  >m;ill  italics. 


INTRODUCTION.  Ivii 

sive  }iovcllac  were  doubtless  attached  to  it  before  the  work  of  R 
began,  but  these  do  not  belong  to  our  present  subject. 

The  work  of  R,  the  final  redactor  of  JEDP  shows  that  to 
him  P  was  preeminently  the  sacred  code.  Its  views  and  phra- 
seology are  shared  by  him,  and  in  cases  of  duplication  he 
almost  invariably  sacrifices  the  older  work  to  P,  making  the  lat- 
ter the  "groundwork"  of  the  entire  structure.  Under  such 
conditions  it  is  not  difficult  to  distinguish  and  to  characterize 
his  work.  It  was  thorough  and  comprehensive,  but  even  to- 
wards JED  manifests  a  scrupulous,  not  to  say  devout,  regard 
for  the  material.  It  was  unavoidable  on  this  plan  that  jED's 
account  of  things  which  could  not  be  told  twice  over,  such  as 
the  construction  of  the  ark,  and  deaths  of  the  patriarchs, 
should  be  stricken  out ;  but  so  far  as  possible  the  divergent 
traits  of  JED  were  preserved  and  inserted  where  room  could 
be  found,  dislocating  to  some  extent  the  earlier  narrative,  as 
in  Num.  xx.  iff.,  but  preserving  the  material  to  the  verge  of 
self-contradiction  (cf.  Num.  xvi.  28-34,  with  vs.  35  and  xxvi. 
11).  Examples  of  R's  work  in  Genesis  appear  generally  m 
slight  touches  of  adjustment,  but  xxxvi.  1-5  is  substantially  his, 
and  xlvi.  8-27  also,  if  not  from  PI  Similar  light  touches  ap- 
pear in  the  later  books,  where,  as  in  Num.  xvi.  ;  xx.  1-13  ;  Dt. 
i.  3  ;  iv.  41-43,  the  narratives  came  into  close  contact.  The 
difficulty  is  to  distinguish  R  from  P^,  whose  supplementations 
extended,  as  Popper  has  shown  by  a  comparison  of  the  LXX. 
text  of  Ex.  XXXV. -xl.  with  the  Massoretic,  down  to  the  third 
century  b.  c.  But  these  latest  occasional  touches  have  scarcely 
affected  the  narrative,  which  received  practically  its  final  form 
at  the  hands  of  R,  probably  not  far  from  the  close  of  the  fifth 
century  p.,  c. 

If  there  is  one  feature  of  the  Documentary  Theory  which 
appears  to  be  more  offensive  than  another  to  the  advocates  of 
tradition  it  would  seem  to  be  the  doctrine  of  repeated  redac- 
tions of  the  text,  whichwe  have  thus  endeavored  to  set  in  outline 
before  the  reader.  For  some  reason  it  appears  to  them  incom- 
patible with  any  view    of    divine   aiithorsJiip    of  the  Bible.     And 


Iviii  INTRODUCTION. 

yet  it  is  to  the  very  same  principle  of  redaction  that  they  have 
recourse  when  the  improbability  of  Moses'  writing  the  account 
of  his  own  death  is  pointed  out,  or  when  appeal  is  made  to 
the  innumerable  post-Mosaica  alluded  to  in  our  preceding  vol- 
ume. These  are  explained  as  the  work  of  later  hands.  In  fact 
the  phenomena  of  redaction  become  absolutely  undeniable  the 
moment  we  reach  the  epoch  where  comparison  is  possible  with 
parallel  versions  and  texts.  But  why  should  divine  authorship 
be  incompatible  with  an  almost  continuous  process  of  human 
redaction?  When  through  the  extrication  of  J's  inherently 
credible  story  of  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  the  divine  element 
in  the  event — shall  we  say  "  sinks  "  ?  nay — ?-ises  to  the  level  of 
providential  \nste2i6  of  miraculous  intervention,  the  story  becomes 
not  less,  but  more  truly  a  manifestation  of  "  God  in  history." 
In  like  manner,  when  deposits  of  the  three  great  streams  of 
religious  thought  of  Ephraim,  Judah  and  post-exilic  Judaism 
gradually  accumulate  under  providential  control  and  guidance 
into  the  Bible  of  Jesus  and  the  apostles,  the  resultant  literary 
composite  is  more  than  ever  entitled  to  be  called  the  product 
of  no  mere  human  wisdom.  It  is  seen  to  be  a  work  and  word 
of  God,  slowly-developed  through  many  ages  of  his  self-mani- 
festation in  Hebrew  thought  and  literature. 


TYPOGRAPHIC    SIGNS    AND 
ABBREVIATIONS. 


J.  Judeaii  prophetic  writer,  circ.  800  B.  C,  in  tliis 
type. 

E.     Ephraimite  prophetic  writer,  circ.  750  b.  c,  in  this  type. 

P-.     Priestly  law-book,  circ.  450  B.  c,  /;/  this  type. 

J2.    Editorial  additions  to  J,  800-722  B.  C,  in  this  type. 

E-.  JK  and  Rd.  additions  to  E,  harmonistic  adjustments  of  JE  and  Ueuter- 
onomic  expansions,  722-200  b.  C,  in  this  type,  or  smaller. 

/«.  Rp  and  R  Uomclimcs  Rd),  additions  to  P  or  JEDP  in  the  prteslly  style 
and  sense,  450-200  n.  c,  in  this  type- 

Ps.=  Psalm;  l)h=l listorical  Deuteronomist ;  Dp=Parenetic  Deuterono- 
mist. 


Supplied  material  in  |  |,  displaced  in ;  characteristic  expres- 
sions in  Part  II.  in  '  ',  word-plays  in  "  ".  Corrupt  text  is  indicated  by 
*  omitted  legislative  sections  by  *  *  *  *,  words  lost  or  unintelligible  by 
.  .  .  .  Ch.=chapter,  chh.  chapters;  vs.=verse,  vv.  verses;  f.=follow- 
ing  verse,  page  or  chapter  ;  ff.  following  verses,  .etc.  ;  cf.=compare,  ct.= 
contrast.  Sam.=Samaritan  text,  LXX.=Septuagint,  Vulg.=Vulgate. 
Arts.  I.  II.  III.  IV.=my  discussions  of  §§  I.  II.  III.  IV.,  in  "Journ. 
Bibl.  Lit."  ix.  2-xii.  i  (1890- 1893).  Z.  A.  W.=Zeitschrift  Jiir  alttesta- 
mentliche  IVisscnschaft ;  Comp.=  Wellhausens  Composition  des  Hex- 
atcuch's,  Berlin,  1889;  E.v.  u.  Lei'.  awA  A^u.  Dt. /os.  =  V)\\\m&xm'?,  com- 
mentaries on  Ex.— Jos.,  Leipzig,  i88oand  1S86.  //t'.r.=Kuenen's  He.v- 
atciich,  trans.  Wicksteed,  l^onAon,  iZZd.  J iilicher's  thesis,  (2«67/6'«  von 
Ex.  i.-vii.,  Halle  1880,  and  his  articles  \n  Jahrb.f.  prot.  Theol.vm. 
are  referred  to  as  A  and  B.     Other  references  explain  themselves. 


EXODUS. 

Prolegomena. 

A  natural  division  of  the  story  of  Israel  exists  between  the 
end  of  Genesis,  the  history  of  the  primitive  and  patriarchal 
period,  and  the  beginning  of  Exodus,  the  history  of  Israel's  birth 
and  development  as  a  nation.  This  division  would  seem  to  be 
even  more  clearly  marked  in  the  earliest  form  of  the  story  than 
at  present,  for  critics  discover  in  Exodus  the  same  structure  as 
in  Genesis.  The  same  principal  sources,  J,  E  and  P,  marked 
by  the  same  characteristics,  are  here  woven  together  in  the 
same  manner  as  there,  and  apparently  by  the  same  hands. 
Now  in  P,  the  priestly  lawbook,  commonly  regarded  by  critics 
as  the  latest  source,  and  in  E,  the  Ephraimite  document,  which 
we  regard  as  later  than  J,  there  is  at  least  an  attempt  to  bridge 
over  the  chasm  between  the  story  of  Israel  as  a  family  of  70  indi- 
viduals, and  as  a  nation.  In  P  the  genealogies  (i.  1-6;  vi.  14-27) 
are  continued  in  unbroken  line,  giving  in  the  case  of  Miriam, 
Aaron  and  Moses  the  third,  in  other  cases  the  fourth  generation 
(Cren.  XV.  16)  as  that  of  the  Exodus.  In  E  (Gen.  1.  23)  "the 
children  of  Machir  the  son  of  Manasseh  were  born  upon  Joseph's 
knees,"  and  this  same  Machir  is  the  one  who  in  Num.  xxxii.  39ff. 
is  represented  as  receiving  from  Moses  at  the  end  of  the  40 
years'  wandering  the  land  of  Gilead,  and  making  conquest  of  it. 
Hence  the  date  given  by  P  in  xii.  41,  of  430  years,  which  nearly  all 
interpreters  agree  is  fo  be  reckoned  from  the  migration  of  Abra- 
ham (Gen.  XV.  isf.)  presents  a  period  too  long,  if  anything,  for 
the  genealogies  of  either  P  or  E.  But  these  genealogical  data, 
while  apparently  adding  to  the  continuity  and  historical  value 
of  the  story,  in  reality  obscure  the  fact,  which  in  J  seems  to 
have  been  left  plain,  that  a  great  gulf  exists  between  the  folk- 


2  EXODfS. 

stories  of  (ieiiesis,  and  the  traditions  of  Exodus  and  the  later 
books.  Three  generations,  or  four  or  five — i6o  years,  or  200, 
or  430,  are  alike  inadequate  to  account  for  the  growth  of  a  family 
of  12  or  of  70  persons,  even  under  favorable,  instead  of  the 
extremely  adverse  circumstances  of  the  Egyptian  bondage,  into 
a  nation  of  myriads  if  not  millions,  such  as  all  forms  of  the  story 
of  the  Exodus  represent.  The  reader  need  only  be  referred  to 
Colenso's  Pentateuch  and  Book  of  Joshua,  Part  I.  for  a  depionstra- 
tion  of  the  utter  futility  of  the  attempt  to  make  this  transition. 
Nor  is  the  difficulty  met  by  the  mere  concession  of  possible  text- 
ual inaccuracies  in  the  numbers.  Even  were  it  possible  to  sup- 
pose that  the  many  coincident  footings  of  two  complete  censuses 
were  the  result  of  accidental  textual  corruption,  the  entire 
history  in  all  its  forms  implies  the  transition  from  a  family  of 
a  few  score  to  a  great  nation  (cf.  Dt.  xxvi.  5)  in  the  interval 
between  Joseph  and  the  Exodus.* 

The  explanation  of  the  discrepancy  is  simply  that  Israel's 
meagre  recollections  of  the  time  before  the  Exodus  are 
wraj)ped  in  the  form  universally  employed  for  the  earliest 
traditions,  the  symbolism  of  the  family,  and  the  true  method 
of  approximating  a  historically  conceivable  unity  of  the  pre- 
historic narrative  with  the  semi-legendary  traditions  at  the 
beginning  of  national  history,  is  the  method  of  the  earliest  doc- 
ument, J,  which  leaves  a  chasm  of  indefinite  extent  between 
the  two  periods,  without  any  attempt,  so  far  as  now  appears, 
to  bridge  it  over.  The  earliest  dim  recollections  of  the  people, 
of  a  time  when,  before  the  bondage  of  Egypt,  a  wave  of  Se- 
mitic migration  had  borne  their  ancestors  upon  its  crest  over 
and  past  this  land  of  Canaan,  to  leave  them  stranded  on  the 
bonier  of  Egypt,  were  woven  into  narratives  cast  in  the 
form  of  family  relations,  and  these  traditions  of   Abraham  and 

•  The  comparison  of  the  increase  of  the  70  persons  of  Jacob's  family  to  a 
nation  of  millions  in  four  generations  with  the  development  of  a  nation  of  65 
millions  from  the  "  Mayflower"  company  [Sic!)  in  about  the  same  length  of  time, 
recently  made  by  a  noted  Brooklyn  preacher,  based  as  it  is  on  the  ludicrous 
assumption  that  the  Pilgrims  from  Leyden  were  the  actual  progenitors  of  the 
entire  American  people,  well  illustrates  the  fact  that  some  modern  minds  have 
not  advanced  beyond  the  n\ythopoeic  stage. 


J'ROLEGOMENA.  3 

Isaac,  Jacob  and  Esau,  Joseph  and  J udah,  attached  themselves 
to  the  shrines  and  sacred  wells  and  trees  of  Canaan,  when  the 
people  at  last  found  themselves  definitely  in  possession  of  the 
land  where  their  fathers  had  been  unable  to  secure  a  perma- 
nent foothold.  The  very  fact  that  from  the  beginning  of  Exo- 
dus the  traditions  largely  lose  the  character  of  family  life  and 
make  at  least  the  attempt  to  relate  national  history,  shows  that 
we  are  crossing  the  line  between  legend-lore,  and  tradition  hav- 
ing a  larger  basis  of  historical  recollection. 

How  long  the  period  of  sojourn  in  Goshen  may  have  been, 
is  matter  for  the  widest  conjecture.  The  most  that  we  can  say 
is,  it  was  not  long  enough  to  obliterate  from  the  recollection  of 
the  nomads  who  settled  there  the  remembrance  of  their  migra- 
tion, nor  of  the  relationship  which  existed  between  themselves 
and  the  other  peoples  of  the  Arabian  desert,  of  the  Hebrew 
or  Abrahamic  stock  ;  not  long  enough  under  the  circumstances 
to  make  a  very  great  difference  with  their  numbers.  Still  we 
find  a  real  gain  to  our  histc^-ical  conception  in  falling  back  upon 
the  simple,  indefinite  representation  of  the  oldest  narrative, 
that  it  was  a  long  time,  at  the  end  of  which  Israel  found  itself 
a  numerous  people  with  cherished  reminiscences  of  a  long-lost 
liberty,  restless  under  the  heavy  yoke  of  a  Pharaoh,  whose 
policy  was  to  make  them  slaves  instead  of  allies. 

The  story  of  the  book  of  Exodus  is  the  story  of  how  Israel 
achieved  independence  and  received  a  constitution.  It  corre- 
sponds to  the  story  of  the  last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century 
in  our  own  history.  The  prophetic  narrative  JE  rests  here,  as 
in  Genesis,  in  both  its  parts,  largely  upon  ancient  poetic  mate- 
rial, fragments  of  which  are  scattered  throughout.  Small 
bodies  of  primitive  law  (civil,  criminal  and  religious  of  course 
undifferentiated)  are  also  incorporated.  The  priestly  lawbook 
P  briefly  sketches  the  history,  to  dwell  at  great  length  upon  the 
ceremonial  law,  the  mass  of  which  is  related  as  delivered  at 
Sinai.  Here  the  institution  of  the  tabernacle,  briefly  mentioned 
in  JE,  is  made  the  foundation  of  all  the  religious  worship  of 
the  nation.  The  directions  for  its  construction  and  furnishing, 
the  inauguration  of  a  priesthood  and  prescriptions  for  the  rftual 


4  EXODUS. 

service  occupy  nearly  all  of  the  last  fifteen  chapters  of  Exodus, 
the  whole  of  Leviticus  (whose  nucleus  is  an  early  body  of 
priestly  law  (P^),  the  so-cdi\\t<MIeiIigkeitsgesetz,  or  Law  of  Holi- 
ness, incorporated  by  P- ),  and  the  first  ten  chapters  of  Num- 
bers ;  besides  scattered  chapters  of  ceremonial  law  introduced 
here  and  there  in  Numbers  without  historical  connection. 
This  great  mass  of  ceremonial  law,  forming  the  body  of  P's 
work,  is  omitted  from  our  present  consideration  as  not 
germane  to  the  Triple  Tradition  of  the  Exodus.  Its  removal 
shows  that  no  such  well-marked  natural  division  exists  in  any 
of  the  sources  at  the  end  of  Exodus  as  has  been  shown  to  exist 
at  its  beginning.  The  close  of  our  present  book  of  Exodus  is 
marked  by  the  completion  of  the  Tabernacle  and  its  sanctifica- 
tion  by  the  descent  of  the  Cloud.  But  the  narrative  of  P'^  goes 
on  uninterruptedly  to  the  tenth  chapter  of  Numbers  with  the 
account  of  the  directions  for  worship  and  inauguration  of  the 
cultus.  In  general  it  may  be  said  that  the  primitive  book  of 
Exodus  extended  to  the  end  of  the  stay  at  Sinai-Horeb,  and  the 
primitive  Numbers  began  with  the  breaking  camp  for  the  jour- 
ney from  Sinai-Horeb  to  Canaan.  It  would  be  more  correct, 
however,  to  consider  Exodus  i-xxiv,  xxxii-xxxiv,  and  the 
narrative  parts  of  Numbers  and  Deuteronomy  as  forming 
together  the  primitive  Tradition  of  the  Exodus.  The  Book  of 
t/ie  Exodus  thus  formed  would  be  somewhat  smaller  than  the 
primitive  Genesis,  which  we  might  call  the  Tradition  of  the 
Patriarchal  period;  when  followed  by  the  Story  of  the  Con- 
cjuest  in  Joshua  and  part  of  Judges,  where  the  three  sources 
are  still  found,  the  three  together  would  form  something  like  a 
trilogy  of  the  sacred  history. 

In  the  present  volume  the  story  of  the  Exodus,  from  the 
boiuhige  of  I'^gyi^t  to  the  death  of  Moses  on  the  height  of 
Pisgah  overlooking  the  Promised  Land,  is  the  field  of  inquiry. 
The  first  subdivision  of  this  story  extends  naturally  to  the  end 
of  the  stay  at  Horeb-Sinai  and  includes  four  principal  sections: 
§  I.  'J'he  Bondage  of  Egypt;  ivx.  i-vi.  ^ii.  The  Plagues;  Ex. 
vii-xii.  J<  111.  l''roni  ICgypt  to  Sinai;  Ex.  xiii-xix.  §  iv.  The 
Covenant   at   Sinai;    lv\.   .\x-\mn.  x.      'I'he  second  subdivision 


THE  BONDAGE  OF  EGVl'T.  5 

includes  the  whole  story  of  the  wilderness  period  in  three  sec- 
tions: §  V.  From  Sinai  to  Kadesh;  Num.  xi-xx.  g  vi.  From 
Kadesh  to  the  Jordan;  Num.  xxi-xxxvi.  ^  vii.  The  Covenant 
in  the  field  of  Moab;   Dt.  i-xxxiv. 

§  I.   Ex.   i-vi.     The  Bondage  of  Egypi'. 

In  §  I.  we  have  the  description  of  Israel's  condition  of  bond- 
age and  of  Moses'  birth  and  call.  The  second  group  of  six 
chapters,  §  ii.  relates  the  story  of  the  contest  of  Moses  and 
Aaron  on  behalf  of  Israel  with  Pharaoh,  until  by  the  final 
plague  of  the  death  of  the  firstborn  the  release  of  Israel  is 
extorted.  In  both  sections  the  parallel  sources  stand  in  marked 
contrast,  exhibiting  the  characteristics  found  peculiar  to  each 
already  in  the  book  of  Genesis. 

P  gives  first  a  list  of  "the  names  of  the  sons  of  Jacob 
who  came  into  Egypt";  then  a  statement  of  their  increase, 
the  oppression  suffered,  their  cry  to  God,  who  hears  their  groan- 
ing and  "  remembers  his  covenant"  ;  thereupon  a  genealogy 
of  the  house  of  Levi  introducing  Aaron  and  Moses.  To  the 
latter  God  reveals  himself  as  "  Yahweh,"  commissioning  him 
to  bring  Israel  forth.  Aaron  is  commissioned  to  go  with  Moses 
before  Pharaoh  because  of  the  latter's  "  uncircumcised  lips." 

From  JE  comes  all  the  detail  and  color  of  the  picture.  E 
relates  the  secret  attempt  of  the  Egyptians  to  rid  themselves  of 
the  Hebrews,  the  story  of  the  midwives  and  of  the  command  to 
cast  the  babes  in  the  river.  Then  followed  originally  some 
data  now  superseded  by  P,  as  to  the  family  of  Moses,  his 
older  sister  "  Miriam,  the  prophetess  "  (Num.  xii.  2),  and  his 
older  brother,  Aaron,  whom  already  God  had  chosen  out  of  all 
the  tribes  of  Israel  to  be  his  priest,  to  go  up  to  his  altar  (i  Sam. 
ii.  27f¥.).  The  stories  of  the  babe  in  the  ark  of  papyrus  found 
and  adopted  by  Pharaoh's  daughter,  of  the  slaying  of  the 
Egyptian,  and  of  the  flight  to  the  wilderness  are  all  from  E.  In 
remarkable  parallelism  to  the  priestly  source  E  relates  how  at 
Horeb  Moses  received  the  revelation  of  the  name  "  Yahweh  " 
and  the  commission  to  deliver  Israel,  together  with  a  "  rod  of 
God"  endowed  with  miraculous   powers,  whereby  the  result  is 


6  EXODUS. 

to  be  achieved.  He  meets  Aaron  after  taking  leave  of  his 
father-in-law  Jethro,  and  the  two  together  present  their  demand 
to  Pharaoh  as  divinely  directed,  but  meet  refusal. 

I's  narrative  resembles  E's.  After  Joseph's  death  Israel  suf- 
fers oppression,  but  increases  to  great  numbers  ....  Moses 
for  some  act  of  rebellion  is  forced  to  flee,  settles  in  Midian, 
and  marries  there.  When  the  king  who  sought  his  life  is  dead 
he  returns,  meeting  a  strange  encounter  with  Yahweh  at  the 
"  lodging-place,"  which  leads  to  the  rite  of  infant  circumcision. 
Thereafter  Yahweh  again  appears  to  him  and  commissions  him 
to  bring  Israel  forth  out  of  their  bondage  to  a  "land  flowing 
with  milk  and  honey."  Moses  objects  his  slowness  of  speech, 
whereupon  "  Aaron  the  Levite,"  his  brother,  is  made  the 
spokesman  to  the  people.  The  people  thankfully  accept  the 
message  (iv.  31  ;  ct.  vi.  9  P),  and  Moses  and  the  elders  ap- 
peal to  Pharaoh  for  a  limited  concession  ;  but  the  first  effect 
is  only  to  bring  about  a  deplorable  increase  of  the  people's 
burdens. 

1.  Chh.  i,  ii.    BoNL).\GE  of  Israel.     Moses'  Birth  and  Youth. 
AA'AL  VS/S. 

The  sons  of  Israel  multiply  in  Egypt  (i.  1-7).  In  fear  of  their  increas- 
ing strength,  a  new  king  of  Egypt,  unmindful  of  Joseph's  services,  vainly 
endeavors  to  break  their  spirit  and  prevent  their  increase  by  forced  and 
servile  labor  (i.  8-14).  The  king  of  Egypt  secretly  endeavors  to  destroy 
Israel  by  engaging  the  midwives  to  kill  the  male  children.  Unsuccessful 
in  this,  he  openly  directs  his  people  to  cast  them  into  the  river.  Under 
these  circum.stances  Moses  is  born  of  Levite  parentage,  and  exposed  in 
an  ark  of  papyrus  upon  the  river.  Discovered  there  by  Pharaoh's 
(laughter  he  is  adopted  by  her  (ii.  i-io).  When  grown  up  Moses  slays 
an  Egyptian  who  was  abusing  a  Hebrew,  and  flees  from  Pharaoh's 
wrath.  He  finds  refuge  in  Midian  in  the  house  of  the  priest  Reuel,  mar- 
ries the  (laughter  of  his  protector,  and  has  by  her  a  son,  whom  he  names 
C.ershom.  The  king  of  Egypt  meantime  dies.  Israel's  cry  of  bondage  is 
lieard  by  (iod,  who  remembers  his  covenant  with  their  fathers  (ii.  11-25). 

Portions  of  this  story  are  easily  seen  to  belong  to  the  narrative  hereto- 
fore extricated  and  designated  P'-.  for  i.  5  refers  back  to  (u-n.  .xlvi.  27, 
ii.  24  to  (len.  xvii.  and  xxxv.  9ff.     The  genealogical  list   i.  1-5,  7.  the 


BONDAGE  OF  ISRAEL.  7 

elaborately  exact  and  mechanical  style  of  i.  1-5,  7;  ii.  235-25  (notice  in 
ii.  2\{.  the  repetition  of  the  subject  and  cf.  Gen.  ii.  1-3),  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  expressions  found  only  in  this  document  make  it  certain  that  in 
these  verses,  and  a  part  at  least  of  i.  I3f.  this  source  is  present.  By  far 
the  greater  part  of  the  two  chapters,  however,  is  of  a  totally  different  style, 
descriptive,  natural  and  easy,  with  the  characteristic  features  of  JE. 
Moreover,  it  is  not  probable  that  the  author  of  vi.  20  and  Num.  xxvl. 
58f.  (P^),  if  he  had  written  the  story  of  ii.  iff.  which  stands  connected 
with  i.  15-22,  would  have  _/frjr/  introduced  in  this  anonymous  style  the 
characters  Amram  and  Jochebed  inii.  i,  the  only  place  in  the  story  where 
they  have  a  part  to  play,  and  then  subsequently  inserted  their  names  in  a 
mere  genealogy. 

On  the  contrary,  the  very  language  of  ii.  iff.  (see  note  in  loc.)  and  its 
references  to  Moses'  "  sister,"  with  subsequent  allusions  to  Aaron  and 
Miriam,  before  they  are  brought  forward,  as  if  for  the  hrst  time,  in  ch. 
vi.,  prove  that  there  was  originally  between  chh.  i.  and  ii.  quite  a  family 
history  of  Moses.  In  a  much  later  passage,  ascribed  by  critics  to  the 
same  document  (Ej,  we  have  an  extended  reference  to  a  calling  of  the 
house  of  Eli's  father  (Aaronidae  ?)  to  the  priesthood,  in  a  manner  totally 
irreconcilable  with  the  priestly  account  of  Ex.  xxviii.  and  impossible  to 
locate  anywhere  else  than  in  these  chapters  ;  "  I  revealed  myself  unto  the 
house  of  thy  father  when  they  were  in  Egypt  in  bondage  to  Pharaoh,  and 
1  chose  him  out  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel  to  be  my  priest,  to  go  up  unto 
mine  altar  "  etc.,  I  Sam.  ii.  27.  All  this,  which  originally  appears  to  have 
preceded  ii.  i,  we  can  readily  see  would  have  to  be  stricken  out  by  Rp. 
A  further  incongruity  with  P'^  appears  in  i.  lib,  where  Raamses  (the 
word  in  the  original  Hebrew  text  is  identically  the  same  here  and  in  xii. 
37  as  well  as  in  Gen,  xlvii.  11 )  is  a  eity  built  by  Israel,  whereas  in  Gen. 
xlvii.  II  it  is  a  territory,  so  called  before  their  coming  to  Egypt,  and  par- 
allel to  "Goshen  "  of  the  source  J.  Further,  the  duplication  of  vs.  1 1  by 
vv.  I3f,  confirms  the  probability  that  the  composite  character  of  Genesis 
is  exhibited  also  in  this  section. 

If  we  inquire  for  the  source  of  the  material  thus  excluded  from  P-.  it 
will  be  found  that  this  also  (i.  6,  7  in  part,  8-12,  14  in  part,  15-22:  ii. 
I -23a)  is  not  a  uniform  product  of  a  single  pen,  as  maintained  by  most 
critics,  but  pi-esents  the  usual  duplicate  character  of  JE.  In  ch.  i.  the 
vv.  15-22  do  not  follow  logically  upon  vv.  8-12,  but  are  rather  parallel  to 
them,  or  even  precede  them  in  thought  ;  for  the  people  whose  require- 
ments are  met  by  two  midwives  cannot  be  the  multitude  who  are  too 
many  and  mighty  even  for  the  Egyptians.  In  vv.  8-12  we  have  a  con- 
sistent representation  of  a  single  policy  pursued  by  the   I'haraonic  ruler. 


H  EXODUS. 

and  still  kept  up  in  cli.  v.  The  effort  is  to  break  the  spirit  of  a  tributary  or 
subject  nation  (of.  xii.  2>7  <  600.000  fighting  men.  J)  by  compeiiing  them  to 
forge  their  own  chains  in  constructing  the  fortresses  which  are  to  control 
them.  The  author  contemplates  a  nation,  not  a  mere  clan  ;  and  regards 
them  as  having  a  geographical  as  well  as  political  individuality  (cf.  ch. 
V.  where  the  brickmaking,  "taskmasters"  etc..  reappear;  here  Israel 
have  their  own  province,  Goshen,  w^hence  they  can  be  "  scattered  abroad." 
and  their  own  "officers."  besides  the  "  elders"  of  iii.  16;  the  "taskmasters" 
being  apparently  superior  tribute-takers).  In  point  of  fact,  though  not 
apparently  in  J's  conception,  this  province  of  (ioshen  extended  even  to 
the  southern  boundary  of  Palestine  ;  cf.  Jos.  x.  41  ;  xi.  16.  In  i.  i  sff. 
(E)  we  are  indeed  brought  back  to  the  same  point  where  we  were  in 
i.  8  (J),  or  rather  to  a  point  anterior,  since  the  secret  and  indirect  assault 
upon  Israel  must  of  necessity  precede,  and  cannot  follow,  the  openly  hos- 
tile and  forcible  policy  of  repression  of  vv.  Sff. ;  but  the  point  of  view  in 
I5ff.  is  entirely  different.  The  Hebrews  are  isolated  individuals  in  some 
kind  of  domestic  slavery,  so  that  the  Egyptians  can  interfere  in  their 
family  life  (vs.  22).  They  live  in  the  royal  city  (ii.  5  ;  ct.  viii.  22  ;  ix.  7,  26) 
and  are  not  so  numerous  but  that  /2m>  midwives  suffice  for  their  needs. 
Vv.  15-22  lead  up  to  \.\i^  family  history  of  Moses  in  ii.  iff.  and  the  author 
throughout  views  Israel  more  as  a  group  of  families  (cf.  Gen.  1.  23) 
reserving  the  conception  of  nationality  till  later.  Coincident  with  these 
contrasts  in  point  of  view  we  find  in  vv.  8-12  a  number  of  expressions 
peculiar  to  J  (see  refs.  and  Art.  1.).  and  none  of  E,  while  in  vv.  15-22  the 
name  Elohim  (cf.  iii.  11-14,  and  V.  passim  in  Genesis)  and  other  pecul- 
iarities of  E  are  present,  whereas  characteristics  of  J  are  here,  in  contrast 
with  vv.  8-12,  with  one  exception  (vs.  20b)  wholly  wanting.  \'s.  20b 
interrupts  in  a  most  unaccountable  way  the  obvious  connection  of  20a 
with  vs.  21.  The  language  of  the  intrusive  clause,  however,  is  identical 
with  7a /->,  whicli  again  is  pre-supposed  by  vs.  12  (J).  Here,  then,  and 
in  the  middle  clause  of  vs.  14,  similarly  distinguished,  are  probable  frag- 
ments of  J.  Vs.  6,  which  relates  the  death  of  Joseph,  of  which  we  have 
an  account  in  cxtcnso  in  E  in  the  preceding  paragrapli  (Gen.  1.  22-26), 
and  which  contrasts  in  style  with  the  regular  formula  of  1'-',  must  also  be 
from  J's  pen. 

In  cli.  ii.  the  i)lu-n()iiu-na  are  similar.  'l"hc  story  of  Most-s'  chiklhood 
we  have  no  reason  to  e\i)eri  in  that  narrative  which  introduces  us 
directly  to  the  conditions  which  call  for  his  life-work  (J  in  i.  8-12)  ;  and. 
in  fact,  there  is  no  trustworthy  trace  in  ii.  i-ioof  either  the  thought  or 
the  language  of  J.  <  )n  the  contrary,  the  linguistic  characteristics  of  K 
are  here  so   marked   as  to  be  absolutelv  decisive  with  all  critics.     \'v. 


BONDAGE  OF  ISRAEL.  9 

11-14  (15a?)  again  are  inseparable  from  the  preceding.  They  tell  how 
"  when  Moses  was  grown  up  ''  he  proved  not  to  have  been  deprived  by 
his  education  of  sympathy  with  "  his  brethren."  The  slight  linguistic 
evidences  discoverable  here  incline  also  in  favor  of  E.  In  vv.  i5bff.  how- 
ever, we  enter  upon  a  somewhat  different  scene.  With  some  critics  tht- 
slightly  different  motive  for  Moses'  flight  (an  actual  attempt  against  his 
life  by  Pharaoh  instead  of  anticipated  peril)  is  of  sutificient  weight  to  de- 
termine a  line  of  division  after  vs.  14 ;  and  it  is  indeed  apparent  from  iv. 
19,  that  J's  narrative  must  have  contained  a  similar  datum.  But  the 
reference  in  xviii.  4  (E)  seems  to  assure  vs.  15  to  E,  except  the  last 
clause,  where  a  real  division  exists  ;  for  "  the  well  "  refers  to  something 
not  given  in  the  preceding  context.  A  more  important  incongruity  with 
E  appears  in  the  succeeding  verses,  where  "  the  priest  of  Midian,"  Moses' 
father-in-law,  appears  as  '' Rfuel,"  or  (see  note  /;;  /c?r. ),  is  nameless; 
whereas,  in  the  section  immediately  following,  which  is  most  positively 
and  indisputably  from  E,  and  in  all  subsequent  E  passages,  he  is  called 
"  Jethro."  Now,  if  ii.  i6ff.  and  iii.  iff.  were  by  the  same  author  we  cer- 
tainly should  not  have  the  name  Reuel  in  ii.  18  and  Jethro  in  iii.  i.  It 
is,  in  fact,  almost  certain  that  if  it  had  been  at  all  the  intention  of  the 
writer  to  name  this  character  in. this  part  of  his  story,  he  would  have 
named  him  in  ii.  16,  where  he  is  first  introduced,  and  would  not  have 
brought  in  the  name  as  if  by  afterthought  in  iii.  i.  But  even  the 
namelcssness  of  "  the  priest  of  Midian  "  here  in  contrast  with  iii.  i  :  iv. 
18,  and  ch.  xviii.,  is  unfavorable  to  E  as  author  of  vv.  i5ff. 

A  similar  argument  applies  in  the  case  of  vs.  22a.  On  turning  to  ch. 
xviii.  it  une.xpectedly  appears  that  Moses  had  not  one.  but  Huo  sons  by 
the  daughter  of  Jethro,  during  the  time  covered  by  this  chapter.  If  so, 
why  should  one  be  omitted  ?  This  is  not  the  work  of  Rje,  for  the  redac- 
tion pursues  the  opposite  course,  and  makes  a  plural  of  "  sons  "  in  iv.  20  : 
when  iv.  25  proves  that  "  son  "  was  the  original.  Gen.  xli.  50-52  shows 
that  in  a  precisely  analogous  case  E  told  of  the  two  succeeding  births 
together,  and  in  connection  with  the  marriage.  The  failure  of  any  mention 
of  more  than  one  son  as  the  fruit  of  Moses'  union  with  Zipporah.  in 
agreement  with  iv.  20,  25,  must  also  weigh  against  E  and  in  favor  of  J  as 
author  of  vv.  15b,  23a. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  in  connection  with  this  passage  that  J  certainly 
had  a  narrative  of  Moses'  flight  from  certain  men  who  sought  his  life,  one 
of  whom  at  least  was  Pharaoh,  and  of  his  taking  refuge  in  Midian  and 
marrying  there  ;  for  all  this  is  referred  to  by  J  in  iv.  igi.  This  alliance 
with  a  priestly  family  of  Abrahamic  stock  (Gen.  xxv.  2fl,  the  author 
doubtless  regards  as  an  honor  (cf.  Gen.  xli.  45  J).     But  in  E.  Num.  .\ii.  1 


1.0  /{.\'0/)C'S. 

(see  note  />/  /oc),  this  marriage  of  Moses  with  a  "  Cushite  " — the  assumj> 
tion  of  an  unknown  second  marriage  is  gratuitous — is  treated  as  a  mesal- 
liance. "  Cushite  '"  is  doubtless  synonymous  with  Midianite  (cf.  Hab. 
iii.  7),  and  it  is  certain  from  subsequent  reference  {e.g.  xviii.  4)  that  E 
and  J  here  were  ahnost  exactly  parallel.  Yet  a  difference  certainly  sug- 
gests itself  between  ii.  1 5ff.  and  the  view-point  of  E.  With  this  result 
agree  (see  references)  the  linguistic  and  stylistic  marks  of  these  verses, 
with  one  exception.  The  word  denoting  "  strange  "  in  22b  seems  to  be 
employed  only  by  E,  and  the  half-verse  itself  is  identical  with  xviii.  3b 
(ICi.  As  Rje  would  be  obliged  to  bring  the  statement  here  into  agree- 
ment with  ch.  xviii.,  or  -i'lce  I'ersa,  it  is  probable  that  he  has  simply 
adopted  E's  etymology  in  both  instances,  in  preference  to  J's.  The  latter 
may  possibly  have  been  led  up  to  in  some  way  by  the  story  of  vv.  ibff ; 
in  fact  the  Hebrew  for  "drove  them  auay,"  vs.  17,  is  written  idenii- 
cally  with  the  name  Gershom. 

Vv.  23b-25  have  been  already  characterized  as  displaying  all  the  marks 
of  F-,  including  an  unmistakable  reference  to  Gen.  xvii.  Vs.  25  breaks 
off  in  the  midst  of  a  sentence.  But  the  line  of  division  between  23a  and 
23b  can  be  drawn  with  a  high  degree  of  certainty.  In  the  present  form 
of  the  verse  the  reader  is  at  a  loss  to  know  who  the  king  is  who  "  died  in  the 
course  of  those  many  days."  According  to  the  unmistakeable  reference 
of  vs.  23a  to  the  preceding,  it  must  be  the  oppressor  whom  Moses  had 
resisted,  and  from  whom  he  has  taken  refuge  in  Midian.  But  if  so,  it  is 
extremely  unnatural  that  the  author  should  take  the  occasion  of  the 
deat/i  of  the  oppressor  to  speak  of  Israel's  complaint  and  cry  to  (}od. 
The  LXX.  version  unquestionably  establishes  here  the  true  connection  by 
repeating  ii.  23a  before  iv.  19.  The  death  of  the  king  is  not,  as  would 
appear  from  the  text  as  we  have  it,  the  occasion  of  Israel's  groaning,  but 
of  Moses  7-etiirn.  The  result  of  this  is  two-fold.  First,  there  is  no  real 
but  only  an  artihcial  connection  between  23a  and  23b;  second,  since  the 
occasion  of  Moses'  return  was  according  to  iv.  rg  (J)  simply  that  •'  Vah- 
weh  said  unto  Moses  in  Midian,  Go,  return  into  Egypt,  for  all  the  men 
are  dead  which  .sought  thy  life,"  and  inasmuch  as  this  motive  excludes 
the  supposition  of  a  previous  direct,  immediate  and  unqualified  mission 
to  I'haraoh,  such  as  iii.  loff.  (E),  the  story  of  Moses'  commission  to 
deliver  Israel,  if  it  was  -ivni  at  all  in  this  document,  must  have  been 
placed  subscgiiciil  to  his  tmal  departure  from  Midian.  We  shall  find 
that  this  really  agrees  much  better  with  the  incident,  otherwise  inexplica- 
ble, of  iv.  24-26  (J). 

Chh.  i.  and  ii.  ap|)ear  accordingly  to  be  composite,  the  strands  identi- 
cal with  those  already  recognized  as  underlying  the  book  of  Genesis,  and 


I.  14.  BONDAGE  OF  ISRAEL.  11 

not  appreciably  harder  to  disentangle.  The  presentation  of  the  results 
of  this  documentary  analysis  in  different  fonts  of  type  will  show  them  to 
be  unexpectedly  illuminating  to  the  well-known  perplexities  of  the  present 
text.  For  detailed  discussion  of  evidence  in  the  critical  analysis  the 
reader  is  referred  to  Art.  1.  of  the  author's  discussions. 


(P)     ^iV(?7i'  t/tese  are  the  iiaiiics  of  the  sons  of  Israel,  wJiieh  1 
came  into  Egypt;  every  man  and  his  household  came  with  Jacob. 
Reuben,  Simeon,  Levi,  and  Jndah,  Issachar.  Zebulun,  and  Beti-2-^ 
jamin,  Dan  and  Naphtali,  Gad  and  Asher.     And  all  the  souls  4-5 
that  came  out  of  the  loins  of  Jacob  were  seventy  souls:  and  Joseph 

(J)  7c>as  in  Egypt  already.     ^Aiul  Joseph  died,  and  all  his  6 
(P)  brethren,  and  all  that  generation.     And  the  children  7 

(J)  of  Israel ^were fruitful,  and i)n-reased  abundantlw  and  [.   .   .] 

(P)  multiplied,  and  ^vaxed  exceeding  mighty;  and  the 

land  was  filled  with  them. 

(J)    ^Now  there  arose  a  new  king  over  Egypt,  which  8 
knew  not  Joseph.    And  he  said  unto  his  people.  Be-  9 
hold  the  people  of  the  children  of  Israel  are  more  and 
mightier  than  we:  \onie,  let  us  deal   wisely  with  10 
them;  lest  they  multiply,  and  it  come  to  pass,  that, 
when  there  falleth  out  any  war,  they  also  join  them- 
selves unto  our  enemies,  and  fight  against  us,  and  get 
them  up  out  of  the  land.    Therefore  they  did  set  over  ir 
them  'taskmasters  to  afflict  them  with  their  hurdens. 
And  they  built  for  Pharaoh  store  cities,  Pithom  and 
Raamses.    But  the  more  they  ^afflicted  them,  the  more  12 
they  multiplied  and  the  more  they  ^spread  abroad. 
And  they  ^  were  grieved  because  of  the  children  of 
Israel.  [.  .  .] 

(P)     '^'^ And  the  Egyptians  made  the  children  of  Israel  to  serve  13 
with   rigor:  and  they  made  their  lives  bitter  with  hard  service,  14 

(J)  in  ^^mortar  and  in  brick,  and  in  all  manner  of  ser- 

^6:  16.  Gen.  36:  10,40  :  46:  8ff.  '■'Jud.  2  :  10  ;  Gen.  50 :  26,  ^Gen.  i  :  22.28.  '•Gen.  18:18. 
26  :  16;  Nu.  22  :  6  ;  vv.9,20.  *Nu  22  :  3-6.  «Gen.  11  :  3,4,7  ;  38  :  16.  '3:7:5:  n.o.T3f. 
^Gen.  16  :  6  ;  31  :  50 ;  34  :  2  ;  ch.  3  :  7.  'Gen.  g  :  iq  ;  10  :  18  :  it  :  g  ;  28  :  14  ;  30  :  30.4.;.  etc. 
»«Gen.  46:  34;  Nu.  22:  3.  "Lev.  25  :  431?.  '^Gen.  n  :  3- 


i2  EXODUS.  I.   15. 

(P)  vice  ill  the  field,  <?//  fhcir  service,  wherein  they  made  them 
serve  luith  rii^or. 

15  (E)  [.  .  .J  And  the  king  of  Egypt  spake  to  the  Hebrew 
midwives,  of  which  the   name  of   the  one  was   Shiphrah,  and 

16  the  name  of  the  other  Puah:  and  he  said,  When  ye  do  the 
ofifice  of  a  midwife  to  tli^e  Hebrew  women,  and  see  them 
upon  the   hirthstool  ;  if  it  be   a  son,  then    ye  shall   kill  him  ; 

17  but  if  it  be  a  daughter,  then  she  shall  live.  But  the  mid- 
wives  ^-'feared  God,  and  did  not  as  the  king  of  Egypt  com- 

18  manded  them,  but  saved  the  men  children  alive.  And  the 
king  of  Egypt  called  for  the  midwives,  and  said  unto  them. 
Why  have  ye  done  this  thing,  and  have  saved  the  men  chil- 

19  dren  alive?  And  the  midwives  said  unto  Pharaoh,  Because 
the  Hebrew  women  are  not  as  the  Egyptian  women;  for  they 
are  lively,  and  are  delivered  ere  the  midwife  come  unto  them. 

20  (J)And  God  dealt  well  with  the  midwives:  "aiul  tlie  people 

21  (E)multiplie(l,  aiul  waxed  very  mighty  [.  .    ].    And  it 

came    to   pass,    because   the    midwives  '^feared   God,  that  he 

22  '•'made  them  houses.  And  Pharaoh  chargetl  all  his  people, 
saying,  Every  son  that  is  born  ye  shall  cast  into  the  river, 
and  every  daughter  ye  shall  save  alive. 

2         And    there  went  a    man  of  the  house  of  Levi  [.      .],*  and 

2  took  to  wife  a  [.  .  .]  daughter  of  Levi  [,  .  .].  And  the 
woman    conceived,  and   bare   a    son  :   and  when  she  saw  him 

3  that  he  was  a  go(xllv  child,  she  hid  him  three  months.  And 
when  she  could  not  longer  hide  him,  she  look  for  him  an  ark 
of  bulrushes,  and  daubed  it  with  slime  and  with  pitch;  and 
she  put  the  child   therein,  and  laid  it  in  the  Hags  'by  the  riv- 

'=r,(Mi.  .■'>:  ir  ;  42  :   i.*.     '''Vv.  7.11.     '•''(icii.  20  :  11  ;  21  :  i-j  ;  .(?  •   18.     '"i   Sam.  j  :  35.     "7  ; 


*  In  vs.  I  wc  have  liter.illy  "  t/ic  daiigliter  of  Levi,"  whicli  must  graniniatically 
refer  to  some  ])erson  already  mentioned,  tliougli  the  mention  is  now  wanting. 
In  vs.  I  "  his  sislc-i  "  is  introduced  as  if  already  known  to  the  reader.  Later 
hotli  Miriam  and  .Aaron  appear  in  the  story  in  the  same  way  without  introduc- 
tion, thougli  Miriam  is  styled  "  the  projihetess,"  (.\v.  20)  as  if  we  had  already 
been  informed  as  to  her  calling.  The  extreme  brevity  and  generalizing  charac- 
ter of  vs.  I  may  therefore  he  attributed  to  Rp.,  with  whose  material  in  ch.  vi.  the 
data  of  1',  conflicted.    Cf.  i.  Sam.  ii.  2-L  and  sec    .\nalvsis,   )).   7  and   Part  II. 


II.    1 6  BONDAGE  OF  ISRAEL.  13 

er's  brink.     And  his  sister  stood  afar  off,  to  know  what  would  4 
be  done  to  him.     And  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  came  down  5 
to  bathe  at  the  river;  and  her  maidens  walked  along  by  the 
river-side  ;  and  she  saw  the  ark   among  the  flags,  and   sent 
her  ^handmaid  to  fetch  it.  And  she  opened  it,  and  saw  sthe  child;  *  6 
and,    behold,    the    babe   wept      And    she    had    compassion 
on   him,  and   said,   This  is  one   of    the   Hebrews'  children. 
Then  said  his  sister  to  Pharaoh  s   daughter,  Shall  I  go  and  7 
call  thee  a  nurse  of  the   Hebrew  women,  that  she  may  nurse 
the  child  for  thee?     And  Pharaoh's  daughter  said  to  her,  Go.  8 
And    the   maid    went    and  called  the   child's  mother.     And  9 
Pharaoh's  daughter  said  unto  her.  Take  this  child  away,  and 
nurse  it  for  me,  and  I  will  give   thee   thy  wages.     And  the 
woman  took  the  child,  and  nursed  it.     ''And  the  child  grew,  10 
and  she  brought  him  unto   Pharaoh's  daughter,  and   he  be- 
came her   son.     And  she  called   his    name  Moses,  and  said, 
Because  I  drew  him  out  of  the  water. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  when  Moses  was  grown  11 
up,  that  he  ^went  out  unto  his  brethren,  and  looked  on  their 
eburdens:  and  he  saw  an   Egyptian  smiting  an  Hebrew,  one 
of  his  brethren.     And  he  looked  this  way  and  that  way,  and  12 
when  he  saw  that  there  was  no  man,  he  smote  the  Egyptian, 
and  hid  him  in  the  sand.     And  he  went  out  the  second  day,  13 
and  behold,  two  men  of  the  Hebrews  strove  together  ;  and 
he  said  to  him  that  did  the  wrong.  Wherefore  smitest  thou 
thy  fellow  ?     And  he   said,  Who  made   thee   a  prince  and  a  14 
judge  over  us?  thinkest  thou  to  kill  me,  as  thou  killedst  the 
Egyptian  ?     And  Moses  feared,  and  said,  Surely  the  thing  is 
known. 

Now  when   Pharaoh   heard  this  thing,  he  ^sought  \o  slay  15 
Moses.     But  Moses  fled  from  the  face  of  Pharaoh,  and  dwelt 
(J)  in  the  land  of  Midian  [.  .  .]:  and  lie  ^sat  down  by  a 
well.     Now   [.  .  .]  the  Spriest  of  Midian  had  seven  16 
daughters :  and  they  came  and  drew  w  ater,  and  filled 

2Gen.  30  :  3,  12,  18,  etc.     ^Gen.  21  :  14-16,  etc.  i  :  22.    *Gen.  21  :  8.     ^\%.  10.     ^s  ■  4-  ^18:4. 
^Gen.  24  :  iiflf.;  29  :  sff.     'Ct.  Nu.  12  :  i. 

*The  clause  is  superfluous  and  appears  to  be  a  marginal  gioss. 


14  EXODUS.  II;    17. 

17  the  ^  trouiJ:lis  to  water  their  father's  flock.  And  the 
slieplierds  came  and  drove  them  away  :  hnt  Moses 
stood   up  and   helped  them,  and  watered  their  flock. 

18  And  when   tliey  came  to  "av«./*  their  father,  lie  said, 

19  '-How  is  it  that  ye  are  come  so  soon  to-day?  And  they 
said,  An  Ea:yptian  delivered  us  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
shei)herds,  and  moreover  he  drew   water  for  us,  and 

20  watered  the  flock.  And  he  said  unto  his  daughters, 
And  where  is  he.Mvhy  is  it  that  ye  have  ^^left  the 

21  man?  call  him,  that  he  may  eat  bread.  And  Moses 
was  "content  to  dwell   w  ith  the  man:  and   he  gave 

22  Moses  Zipporah  his  daughter.  And  she  bare  him  a 
(E)  son,  and  he  called  his  name  Gershom  [.  .  .]:  for  he 

said,  1  have  been  a  sojourner  in  a  strange  land. 

23  (J)  And  it  came  to  pass  in  thecourse  of  those  many 
(P)  days,  that  the  king  of  Egypt  died :  f  and  the  children 

of  Israel  sighed  by  reason  of  the  bondage,  and  they  cried,  and  their 

24  cry  came  up  unto  God  by  reason  of  the  bondage.  And  God  heard 
their  groaning,  and  God  ^''remembered'^^his  covenant  7mth  Abraham, 

25  with  Isaac,  and  ^inth  Jacob.  And  God saiv  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  God  took  knowledge  [of  t/ieni]. 

'"Gen.  30  :  38,  41.  '"Ct.  Nu.  10:  29  ;  Ex.  3  :  I,  etc.  '"•'Gen.  27  :  20.  "Qe^  ^  .  2_j .  ,^  .  27; 
28  :  15.  etc.     ■■'Gen.  18  ;  27,31 ;  Jos.  7  :  7.     "Gen,  8  :  i  ;  30 :  22.     »«Gen.  17  :  y{. 

*  Throughout  the  J  document  Moses'  father-in-law  is  always  known  as  "  Ho- 
bab  the  son  of  Reuel,  the  priest  of  Midian,"  cf.  Num.  x  29;  Jud.  iv.  11  ;  in  E 
he  is  known  equally  without  exception  as  Jethro  {Ex.  i  v.  18,  "  Jether  ").  "  Priest 
of  Midian  "  in  K  occurs  only  in  Ex.  xii.  i  and  xviii.  i,  passages  recast  by  Rje,  and 
must  therefore  be  considered  doubtful.  "  Reuel  "  here  is  best  xplained  as  a 
harmonistic  insertion,  Chotlieii  ("  father-in-law,"  /.  e.  wife's  relation)  when  applied 
to  Hobab  and  Jethro  being  rendered  " /v^j/Z/iv-in-law."  This  is  still  the  Rab- 
binic explanation;  but  the  sense  of  the  passage  clearly  is  that  "the  priest  of 
Midian  "  who  is  here  nameless  (Rje,  who  supplies  ''  priest  of  Midian  "  in  iii.  i 
must  have  struck  out  the  name  from  v.s.  16)  has,  not  seven  daughters  and  two 
sons,  but  seven  unprotected  daughters.  The  theory  of  "  Hobab  son  of  "  having 
dropped  out  before  "  Reuel  "  is  incredible.  In  the  original  "  Reuel  "  and 
"  Raguel  "  (Num.  x.  29)  arc  written  identically. 

t  The  I, XX.  repeat  vs.  23a  in  connection  with  iv.19.  See  .Analysis,  p.  130,  and 
note  on  "iv.  19,  24-26. 


THE  CALL  OF  MOSES  AND  AARON.  15 

Chh.  IlI-IV.      Thk  Call  of  Moses  and  Aaron. 
ANALYSIS. 

This  story  is  related  in  duplicate  by  JE  and  P"^,  the  narrative  of  the 
latter  in  vi.  2-vii.  7  completely  paralleling  that  of  JE  in  chh.  iii.  and  iv. 

God  appears  to  Moses  in  "  Horeb  the  mount  of  God"  where  he  was 
keeping  the  flock  of  Jethro.  From  a  burning  thorn  thicket  he  reveals 
himself  as  the  God  of  Moses'  fathers,  determined  now  to  deliver  Israel 
from  their  bondage.  Moses  is  commissioned  to  demand  their  release  from 
Pharaoh,  and  receives  the  revelation  of  the  sacred  Name,  and  a  token  of  the 
success  of  his  mission  ;  iii.  i-i  5.  He  is  sent  to  gather  the  elders  of  Israel 
and  with  them  to  ask  of  Pharaoh  permission  to  go  three  days'  journey 
into  the  wilderness  and  sacrifice.  Yahweh  will  compel  release  and  enable 
the  people  to  spoil  the  Egyptians.  Moses  objects  his  lack  of  authority 
with  the  people,  and  receives  power  to  exhibit  three  signs,  his  staff 
changing  to  a  serpent,  his  hand  to  the  hand  of  a  leper,  and  water  to 
blood  ;  iv.  1-9.  He  objects  his  inability  to  speak  well,  and  persists  in 
refusal  until  Yahweh's  anger  is  kindled.  Yahweh  gives  the  office  of 
spokesman  to  his  brother  "  Aaron  the  Levite,"  and  to  Moses  a  wonder- 
working rod  ;  10-17.  Moses  returns  to  Jethro,  takes  leave  of  his  father- 
in-law,  and  with  wife  and  sons  returns  to  Egypt.  On  the  way  at  the 
lodging-place  Yahweh  seeks  to  kill  him,  but  is  propitiated  by  Zipporah's 
circumcising  the  child;  18-26.  Arrived  at  Horeb,  Moses  meets  Aaron 
and  the  two  announce  Yahweh's  message  to  the  people,  which  is  grate- 
fully received  ;  27-31. 

No  trace  whatever  of  the  style,  language  or  thought  of  P  occurs  in 
chh.  iii -v.  On  the  contrary  we  have  seen  that  Rp  has  reserved  the 
parallel  account  of  P^  for  a  distinct  narrative  in  vi.  2-vii.  7,  which  repeats 
in  briefer  form  all  the  essential  points  of  chh.  iiif.  even  to  the  reiteration 
of  the  revelation  of  the  divine  Name,  of  Moses"  complaint  of  uncircum- 
cision  ()/"  lip  (cf.  iv.  10-16,  and  24-26  with  vi.  10-12,  28- vii.  2),  and  the 
appointment  of  Aaron  as  spokesman.  Ch.  vi.  2  is  found  thus  to  join 
almost  directly  upon  ii.  25.  But  in  spite  of  complete  freedom  from  P, 
chh.  iiiff.  are  anything  but  consistent  and  uniform.  We  need  only  take 
iv.  I7ff.  as  an  example.  It  becomes  later  manifest  that  vs.  17  refers  to 
the  wonders  wrought  by  Moses  "  before  Pharaoh"  (vs.  21),  one  series  of 
which  (E)  are  wrought  invariably  by  the  rod.  But  so  far  we  know  of  no 
"signs"  but  those  of  iv.  1-9,  only  one  of  which  can  be  performed  with 
the  rod  ;  and  even  these  vs.  30  seems  to  attribute  to  Aaron.  Vs.  1 9 
again  is  alternative  to  vs.  18,  and  cannot  be  the  sequel  to  it  (cf.  Gen.  .x.x.xi, 


16 


KXOJ)US. 


2  and  3).  But  independently  of  this,  its  motive  for  Moses'  return,  as  we 
have  seen,  excludes  the  possibility  that  he  had  previously  received  a  divine 
commission  to  Pharaoh  such  as  iii.  7-\?>  ;  moreover  it  joins,  as  the  LXX. 
text  shows,  upon  ii.  23a.  The  name  Jethroin  vs.  18,  agreeing  with  chh. 
iii.  and  xviii.,  is  inconsistent  with  ii.  isff.  with  which  again  vs.  19  ("in 
Midian")  agrees.  Vs.  20a,  in  agreement  with  24-26,  represents  Moses 
taking  his  wife  and  son  (see  note  in  loc.)  to  Egypt  with  him.  But  in  xviii. 
iff.  Jethro  comes  to  meet  Moses  after  the  exodus,  at  Horeb,  and  brings 
Moses'  wife  and  her  huo  sons  with  him.  Of  this  the  only  explanation 
offered  is  the  belated  insertion  in  xviii.  3,  "  after  he  had  sent  her  away  " 
(see  note  in  loc).  Vs.  20b  would  follow  well  upon  vs.  17,  but  vs.  21  is 
not  the  sequel  to  vs.  20,  nor  is  the  anticipation  of  ch.  xif.  in  vv.  21-23 
appropriate  to  the  present  situation  (see  note  in  /or.).  In  ch.  iii.  the  Con- 
dition of  the  story  is  not  materially  better.  The  writer  who  relates  the 
revelation  of  the  Name  Yahweh  in  vv.  10-15  <-'annot  consistently  employ 
it  in  vv.  2,  4,  7.  In  fact  we  discover  immediately  that  there  is  a  series  of 
passages  in  which  he  does  not.  In  these  he  consistently  and  invariably 
uses  Elohitn,  as  does  the  document  E  throughout  Genesis ;  and  where 
these  clauses  with  Elohim  are  simply  taken  out  of  the  context  and  placed 
side  by  side,  we  discover  that  they  make,  in  the  order  found,  a  contin- 
uous, independent  and  consistent  narrative,  nearly  complete.  At  the 
same  time  the  portions  left  behind  make  another  equally  independent, 
complete  and  consistent  narrative,  each  of  the  two  having  its  own  point 
of  view,  and  its  own  characteristics  of  language  and  style.  In  short  the 
phenomena  themselves  of  the  text,  not  the  a  priori  assumptions  of  criti- 
cism, compel  a  documentary  analysis. 

Vv.  I  and  6  obviously  belong  with  vv.  loff.  (E),  not  merely  because  of 
"  Elohim,"  but  because  vs.  13  refers  to  vs.  6,  and  in  vs.  i  we  have 
Jethro  (so  in  E  passim)  instead  of  Hobab  (J)  as  Moses'  father-in-law, 
and  "  Horeb  "  (see  references)  instead  of  "  Sinai  "  (so  J  passim).  Vs.  4 
is  clearly  composed  partly  of  each.  The  means  of  determining  each 
element  are  readily  afforded  by  the  references.  Throughout  E  in 
Genesis  we  have  a  large  number  of  theophanies  in  which  the  formula  of 
address  here  employed  is  used  with  such  regularity  as  to  be  thoroughly 
characteristic.  Outside  this  document  it  does  not  appear.  The  fullest 
example  is  Gen.  xlvi.  2,  3a,  which  shows  an  exact  parallel  to  vs.  4b 
when  connected  wit/i  6a,  "  And  he  said  "  etc.  Again  in  E  God  never 
••  appears  "  to  men,  as  in  J  ;  but  either  comes  to  them  in  a  vision  of  the 
night  "  (Gen.  xx.  3.  etc.),  or  "  calls  to  them  out  of  heaven  "  (Gen.  xxi.  17  ; 
xxii.  1 1,  etc. )  ;  in  I'.x.  xix.  3  he  "  calls  to  Moses  "  from  the  mount  of  God 
as  here.     CoiKTcte  and  anthropomorphic    representations  are  studiously 


THE  CALL  OF  MOSES  AXD  AARON.  17 

avoided.  The  clause  "out  of  the  midst  of  the  bush"  which  is  identical 
with  vs.  2a,  is  therefore  probably  not  from  E.  If  anything,  this  document 
would  have  had  "  out  of  the  mountain  "  which  Rje  might  have  altered  to 
agree  with  2a.  But  with  the  clause,  "  And  God  called  unto  him,  and 
said,  Moses,  Moses.  And  he  said  Here  am  I,"  we  have  all  that  we  have 
any  right  to  attribute  to  E  in  vv.  2-5,  and  this  with  vv.  i,  6,  9-14  makes 
the  story  of  E  practically  complete.  In  like  manner  beginning  with  J, 
we  might  reverse  the  process.  Vv.  ji.  can  be  shown  by  reference  to  i  : 
II  ;  Gen.  xi.  5  ;  xviii.  21  ;  ch.  xiii.  5,  etc.,  to  be  characteristic  of  J,  and  are 
completely  paralleled  by  vv.  cji.  Vs.  2,  inseparable  from  3,  4a  is  referred 
to  by  Dt.  xxxiii.  16  (J)  and  the  theophany  in  tire  is  characteristic  of  J 
(Gen.  XV.  17;  Ex.  .xix.  iS).  \'s.  5  has  but  one  counterpart  in  the  Old- 
Testament,  Jos.  V.  15  (J).  The  scene  however  cannot  be  the  "  mount  of 
God"  (see  above,  p.  10)  but  the  road-side,  after  Moses  has  left  "  the 
lodging-place  "  (iv.  24-26).  The  "  holy  ground,"  vs.  5,  is  therefore  per- 
haps to  be  identified  with  the  sanctuary  of  this  well-known  place  (cf.  Gen. 
xiii.  27).  Moses  "  turns  aside  "from  the  luay.  The  rod  in  his  hand 
(iv.  2 )  is  a  wayfarer's  staff.* 

Vv.  9-15  are  clearly  uniform  (see,  however,  note  on  vs.  15),  vv.  9f. 
(=7f.)  directing  Moses  to  demand  from  Pharaoh  the  release  of  Israel  ; 
and  with  this  agree  vv.  19,  20  (?),  2 if.  But  in  vv.  16-18  there  is  not  only 
a  second  message  to  Israel  and  to  Pharaoh  of  similar  tenor  with  the  lirst, 
but  the  point  of  view  is  different.  If  Israel  at  their  leave-taking  are  to 
"  spoil  the  Egyptians"  (vv.  2if.)  then  all  thought  of  return  from  the 
wilderness  is  excluded  from  the  outset.  True,  the  jewels  and  raiment  are 
n<)t  demanded  as  a  right.  They  are  really  "  borrowed  "  ;  for  it  is  not  by 
fear,  but  by  "  favor  "  (vs.  21  ;  cf.  xi.  3  ;  xii.  36)  that  they  are  obtained. 
Hence  also  luonien  ask  them.  The  Egyptians  expect  them  to  be  re- 
turned ;  but  the  borrowers  have  no  such  expectation,  for  they  regard 
them  as  "  spoil."  The  standard  of  morality  here  may  not  be  high,  but 
doubtless  in  the  writer's  eyes  the  action  is  simple  justice.  But  in  com- 
bination with  vs.  18  this  story  takes  the  aspect  more  of  deliberate  fraud 
than  of  open  war,  a  fraud  which  cannot  even  be  excused  as  the  necessary 
resort  of  weakness.  The  sacrifice  in  the  wilderness  is  a  dishonest  pretense, 
and  quite  unnecessary  if  release  was  the  real  demand,  and  miraculous 
compulsion  the  means  of  securing  it.  If,  however,  we  separate  vv.  16-18 
from  their  environment  and  connect  them  with  vv.  7f.  to  which  they  lin- 
guistically correspond  (cf.  "  appeared  "  ;  •'  bring  up  "— vv.  10-12  "  bring 
forth  "  ; — "  affliction  " — vs.  9  "  oppression  ,  " — "  land   flowing  with  milk 

*  In  Art.  I.  the  traces  of  J  in  ill.  2ff.  are  referred  to  Rje  ;  a  more  thoroimb 
study  of  the  passage,  however,  leads  me  to  the  above  result. 


18  EXODUS. 

and  honey  ")  there  is  no  deception  practiced.  Yahweh  indeed  promises 
to  "  bring  them  up."  but  does  not  say  how.  The  first  step  is  that  Moses 
and  the  elders  shall  go  to  Pharaoh  and  /;/  good  faith  make  the  request 
of  vs.  1 8.  What  the  result  will  be  remains  to  be  seen.  The  proof  that 
this  is  not  the  same  as  the  demand  of  vv.  9-1 1  for  release,  is  found  in 
ch.  V.  w.  if.  4.  in  contrast  with  vv.  3  and  5ff.  Here  vs.  3  carries  out 
verbatim  the  direction  of  iii.  18,  and  the  antecedent  of  the  pronominal 
subject  is  accordingly  Moses  and  the  elders.  The  result  (vv.  5ff.) 
is  increased  "  affliction  "  by  the  "  taskmasters  "  (i.  11;  iii.  7).  Strictly 
parallel  to  this  in  vv.  if.  4  is  another  demand,  probably  for  full  release 
(see  note  in  loc),  by  Moses  and  Aaron.  It  is  abruptly  terminated  by 
the  expulsion  of  the  petitioners  (vs.  4).  The  linguistic  marks  of  iii.  16-18 
are  quite  sufficient,  as  we  saw,  to  characterize  this  element  as  J 's  :  but 
independently  it  is  possible  to  positively  determine  the  E  authorship  of  vv. 
2 if.  Throughout  J  the  people  are  always  and  consistently  represented 
as  dwelling  by  themselves  in  the  land  of  Goshen  (cf.  e.  g.  viii.  22 ; 
ix.  26).  In  E  on  the  contrary  they  live  intermingled  with  the  Egyptians 
(x.  23).  It  is  the  latter  condition  which  is  very  strikingly  set  forth  in  iii. 
2 if.  and  the  connected  passages.  Under  the  conditions  presupposed  in 
J  the  action  they  describe  would  in  fact  be  impossible. 

In  ch.  iv.  I  have  modified  the  analysis  presented  in  Art  I.  and  must 
therefore  present  somewhat  more  fully  than  would  otherwise  be  neces- 
sary the  grounds  of  the  present  analysis.  \'v.  1-16  present,  so  far  as  I 
can  now  see,  no  real  break  in  the  uniformity  of  thought  save  at  vs.  14b 
(see  below  p.  2  ).  Only  after  the  anger  of  Yahweh  was  kindled 
against  Moses  "  (vs.  14a)  we  do  not  expect  the  interview  to  close  with 
the  honor  conferred  in  vs.  16.  We  expect  rather  something  like  the 
utterance  repeatedly  referred  to  in  Deut.,  that  "  Yahweh  sware  in  anger, 
Thou  shalt  indeed  bring  up  this  people  unto  the  land  which  I  give  them, 
but  thou  thyself  shalt  not  go  in  thither,  only  thou  shalt  see  it  with  thine 
eyes,  but  thou  shalt  not  go  in  thither  "  fcf.  Dt.  xxxiv.  4  and  i.  37  ;  iv.  21  ; 
xxxi.  3).  The  datum  is  wanting  in  what  remains  to  us  of  ]¥.,  and  there 
is  no  more  probable  place  for  its  insertion  than  after  iv.  16.  But  the 
uniformity  of  vv.  1-16  makes  the  inappropriateness  of  vs.  17  in  its  pres- 
ent connection  only  the  more  striking  (see  above  p.  15). 

Vv.  10- 1 4a  are  so  remarkably  characteristic  of  J  in  language  and  style 
(see  references  and  cf.  the  use  of  "Levite,"  vs.  14a,  as=priest  with  ii.  i) 
as  to  leave  no  question  of  their  relation  to  J  ;  but  I  formerly  assigned 
vv.  1-9  to  E  on  grounds  which  indeed  still  appear  to  me  to  have  some 
weight,  especially  the  reference  in  vii.  15  (Rje ;  see  note  in  he);  the 
phrase  in  vs.  6b  "  leprous  as  snow  "  (cf.  Nu.  xii.  10.  E) ;  and   the  harsh- 


THE  CALL  OF  MOSES  AND  AARON.  19 

ness  of  vs.  i,  after  iii.  i8a.  The  clause  in  vs.  6b,  however,  is  far  from 
decisive,  as  the  expression  is  such  as  might  be  found  in  both  documents, 
and  the  relation  of  vs.  i  to  iii.  i8a  is  perhaps  also  inconclusive. 
If  not,  the  clause  iii  i8a<?  may  be  assigned  to  E.  At  present 
therefore,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  arguments  in  favor  of  iv.  1-9  as  J's 
predominate.  To  this  result  I  have  been  brought  mainly  by  the  follow- 
ing considerations,  i"^  The  principal  objection  to  J  as  author  disappears 
with  the  recognition  that  the  scene  need  not  be  Horeb,  /.  e.  anterior  to 
vv.  19-26;  nor  need  the  rod,  vs.  2,  be  the  shepherd's  crook;  but  the 
scene  is  at  some  place  between  "  the  lodging-place  "  and  Goshen, 
whither  Moses  has' turned  aside  (iii.  3)  with  his  wayfarer  s  staff  in  hand, 
attracted  by  the  unusual  sight  of  the  blazing  thicket.  2'^  On  the  positive 
side  it  should  be  considered  that  protracted  arguments  between  Yahweh 
and  Moses,  are  common  in  J,  but  are  incongruous  with  E's  religious  con- 
ceptions. A  more  cogent  argument  is  furnished  by  vs.  17,  certainly  E. 
Here  "  the  signs  "  unquestionably  mean  the  plagues  of  Egypt,  wrought 
invariably  in  E  by  "  the  rod  of  God."  But  if  vv.  1-9  had  preceded  vs.  17 
as  they  now  do,  it  would  have  been  necessary  for  the  author  to  distin- 
guish in  some  way  "the  signs"  of  vs.  17  from  "the  signs  "  of  vv.  1-9. 
As  the  latter  passage  now  reads  it  certainly  conveys  the  impression 
(Wellhausen,  Conip.  p.  72)  that  no  other  "  signs  "  are  entrusted  to  Moses 
than  those  to  be  worked  before  the  people  (in  J  Yahweh  inflicts  the 
plagues  without  Moses'  intervention).  On  the  contrary  vs.  17  seems  to 
know  none  but  those  shown  before  Pharaoh.  It  is  really  necessary 
therefore  to  assign  vs.  17  and  vv.  1-9  to  different  authors.  Finally  the 
duplication  of  the  miracle  of  the  water  changed  to  blood  is  thus  avoided 
(see  text  of  vii.  14-25).  I  am  glad  thus  to  be  able  at  length  to  coincide 
here  with  the  unanimous  verdict  of  criticism. 

The  assignment  of  vs.  18  to  E,  19,  20a  to  J  requires  no  further  justifi- 
cation than  the  references  and  the  grounds  already  noted.  Vs.  20b 
follows  of  course  upon  vs.  18;  cf.  vs.  17.  On  vv.  21-23  see  "o^e  in  loc. 
Vvo  24-26  are  most  incongruous  in  their  present  position,  but  are  easily 
seen  to  be  from  J  (cf.  Gen.  xlii.  27),  and  when  the  theophany  of  iii.  2ff.  is 
restored  to  its  true  position  after  them,  much  of  their  strangeness  dis- 
appears. To  the  same  narrative  must  belong  vv.  29-31  (cf.  iii.  16-18 
and  refs.).  Only  in  iv.  27  is  there  a  phrase  undeniably  indicative  of  E, 
and  this  verse  again  seems  to  be  connected  with  vs.  14b.  Moreover  the 
motive  given  by  Moses  for  his  return  in  vs.  18  is  more  natural  if  he  is  in 
reality  sent  to  meet  his  "  brother  "  Aaron.  Finally  v.  i,  4,  with  its  intro- 
duction of  Aaron  as  Moses'  coadjutor  suggests  that  E  also  had  some 
account  of  the  association  of  Aaron  with  Moses  in  the  call,  and  this  is 


20  Exovrs. 

made  positive  by  Jos.  xxiv.  5  (E).  Vs.  14b  accordingly,  whose  connection 
with  the  context  is  at  least  loose,  if  not  disturbing,  27,  and  28,  whose 
connection  with  27  is  closer  than  with  29,  may  be  reckoned  fragments  of 
E's  parallel  to  the  main  account  in  vv.  i4ff. 

A  much  easier  analysis  of  iv.  13-17.  V-3^  's  that  advocated  by  so 
excellent  an  authority  as  CorniU,  who  settles  the  whole  difficulty  by  the 
sweeping  declaration,*  "  iv.  13-16  and  27,  28  are  manifestly  interpolated, 
and  29,  30  worked  over,  by  Rp."  But  we  have  strong  prejudices  against 
a  wholesale  process  of  this  kmd.  Rp  is  admittedly  not  a  composer  but 
a  compiler,  extremely  averse  to  composition  on  his  own  account,  and  not 
disposed  to  alter  JE  except  where  it  comes  in  contact  and  conflict  with 
P.  There  is  no  trace  of  P^  jn  chh.  iii-v  and  no  motive  for  Rp  to  inter- 
polate. Rje  might  have  been  tempted  to  insert  'something  to  introduce 
Aaron  before  ch.  v  ;  but  Rp  had  this  whole  story  in  a  much  better  form 
and  better  place  for  his  purposes  in  vi.  10-12,  28ff.  (P^).  Moreover  the 
motive  of  iv.  13-16  is  not  redactional.  It  is  not  a  patch  applied  for  the 
purpose  of  holding  together  more  or  less  discrepant  material  nor  has  it  a 
didactic  motive.  It  manifests  the  religious  archaeological  motive  of  J. 
Whence  comes  the  idea  that  Moses  is  not  a  speaker,  and  hence 
must  have  an  interpreter  to  the  people  ?— "  Manifestly "  it  serves  to 
account  for  the  interpretative  function  of  the  priesthood.  "  The 
priest's  lips  keep  the  Torah,"  they  are  the  authorized  custodians  and 
interpreters  of  the  law  (cf.  Dt.  xxiv.  8  ;  xxxiii.  10 ;  Mai.  ii.  7;.  The 
association  of  "  Aaron  the  Levite  "  with  Moses  as  his  "spokesman  to 
the  people  "  is  J's  aetiology  of  this  institution.  The  relation  of  vi.  10-12, 
28ff.  to  iv.  I3ff.  is  unmistakable.  They  cannot  be  independent.  But 
assuredly  iv.  I3ff.  is  not  derived  from  vi.  loff.  !  P^  did  not  originate  an 
aetiologicai  explanation  of  a  priestly  function,  and  of  his  own  motive 
attribute  "  uncircumcision  of  lip"  to  Moses.  Then  he  found  it  in  JE  (cf. 
vi.  r2-vii.  2,  where  the  datum  of  iv.  10  is  taken  without  regard  to  its  astio- 
logical  significance,  as  a  mere  historical  fact).  Rje  again  did  not  originate 
it.  for  he  does  not  add  Jiew  traits,  but  simply  adjusts  his  material.  E  has 
a  different  account  of  the  institution,  committing  the  law  to  "  judges." 
Only  J  remains,  and  J  is  just  the  one  of  whom,  because  of  his  semi- 
priestly  interest  (cf.  xix.  22  J)  and  his  cCtiological  method,  we  should 
expect  it. 

P'inally  iv.  10  is  universally  admitted  to  be  positively  J's.  For  what 
purpose  then  is  the  statement  there  made  of  Moses'  incapacity  for  speech, 
unless   the    writer   was    intending    to    introduce  the    story  of  Aaron  as 

*  F.iitltitmn;,  FrcUjiirg,  1.S92.  p.  S4. 


THE  CALL  OF  MOSES  AND  AARON.  2\ 

"spokesman  to  the  people?"     Vv.   i3ff.  are  therefore  indispensable  to 
loff. 

The  passage  is  an  important  one,  as  by  its  rejection  it  becomes 
possible  to  suggest  as  a  probability  *  that  the  North  Israelite  character 
of  Aaron  is  unknown  to  J.  But  we  may  expect  the  same  fate  for  this 
suggestion  as  for  the  similar,  but  now  rejected  idea  of  Meyer  and  Stade  in 
regard  to  the  character  of  Joshua. 


(E)     Now    Moses  was  keeping  the  fiock    of  ^Jethro  his  3 
father-in-law,  the  priest  of  Midian,f  and  he  led  the  flock  to  the 
back  of  the  wilderness,  and  came  to  the  mountain   of  God, 
(J)  unto  ^Horeb.    Aud  the  aiigel  of  Yahweli  appeared  2 
unto  him^iu  a  flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush  : 
and  he  looked^  and,  behold,  the  busli  burned  with 
fire,   and    the  bush  was  not  consumed.    And   Moses  3 
said,  *I  will  turn  aside  now,  and  see  this  great  sight, 
why  the  bush  is  not  burnt.    And  when  Yahweh  saw  4 
(E)  that  he  turned  aside  to  see,  ^God  called  unto  him  out 
of  the  midst  of  the  bushf  and  said,  Moses,  Moses.     And  he  said, 
(J)  Here  am  I.    '^And  he  Said,  Draw  not  nigh  hither:  5 

'Ct  2  :  18  ;  Nu.  lo  :  29  ;  Jud.  4:11.  "■'17  :  6  ;  33  :  6  ;  4  :  27  ;  18  :  5.  sGen.  15  :  17  ;  ch.  ig  : 
iS  ;  Dt.  33  :  i6.  *Juil.  14  :  S.  ^Gen.  22  :  i,  7,  11  ;  46  :  2  ;  ch.  19  :  3.  "Jos.  5  :  15. 

*Cornill,  Eiii/ei/iiiix;  p.  51. 

1  For  the  discussion  of  the  names  given  to  Moses'  father-in-law,  see  above 
(note  on  ii.  iS).  As  the  "  jiriest  of  Miciian"'  only  ajjpears  twice  in  E,  and  in 
both  cases  in  a  context  worked  over  by  Rje,  it  seems  more  probable  that  it  is 
a  harmonistic  interpolation  of  Rje  than  that  Moses'  father-in-law  should  have 
been  "  priest  of  Midian  "  in  both  J  and  E.  In  thus  identifying  Jethro  with 
the  priest  of  ii.  i6ff.  he  would  of  course  remove  the  discrepant  name  "  Hobab  " 
in  ii.  16,  though  he  let  it  stand  in  Num.  x.  19  and  Jud.  iv.  11. 

I  The  clause  "  out  of  the  midst  of  the  bush  "  might  be  a  fragment  of  J,  but  is 
more  likely  to  have  been  inserted  by  Rje  to  make  vs.  4  correspond  with  vs.  2a. 
It  is  superfluous  in  either  J  or  E.  In  this  verse  it  should  be  observed  that  the 
Hebrew  has,  ''  And  Ya.\\\\e\\  saw  .  .  .  aud  God  called";  not,  '■''when  Yahweh 
saw,"  etc.  So  in  vs.  6  "  moreover  "  is  simply  supplied  by  the  translators  to 
avoid  the  awkwardness  of  the  two  consecutive  beginnings  "  And  he  said." 
Throug*hout  the  book  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  looseness  of  Hebrew 
construction  which  readily  lends  itself  to  the  style  of  compilation  discovered 
bv  critics. 


32  EXODUS.  III.  6. 

put  off  thy  shoes  from  off  tliy  feet,  for  the  place 
whereon  thou  staudest  is  holy  ground. 

6  (E)  Moreover  he  said.  I  'am  the  God  of  thy  father,  the 
God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob. 
And  Moses  hid  his  face  ;   for  he  was  afraid  to  look  upon  God. 

7  (J)[.  .  lAud  Yahweh  said,  I  have  surely  seen  the  ^af- 
fliction of  my  people  which  are  in  Egypt,  and  I  have 
heard  their  cry  by  reason  of  their  taskmasters;  for  I 

8  know  their  s<nrows;  and  I  am  "come  down  to  deliver 
tlieni  out  of  the  liand  of  the  Egyptians,  and  to  bring 
tlieni  up  out  of  that  land  unto  a  good  laud  and  a  large, 
(Rd)unto  a  ^  laud  flowing  with  milk  and  honey;  unto  the 

place  of  the  Canaanite,  and  the  Hittite,  and  the  Amorite,  and  the  Perizzite, 
and  the  Hivite,  and  the  Jebusite.* 

9  (E)  "And  now,  behold,  the  cry  of  the  children  of  Israel 
is  come   unto  me :    moreover   I   have    seen    the    oppression 

10  wherewith  the  Egyptians  oppress  them.  Come  now  there- 
fore, and  I  will  send  thee  unto  Pharaoh,  that  thou  mayest 
bring  forth   my  people   the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt. 

11  "And  Moses  said  unto  God,  Who  am  I,  that  I  should  go 
unto  Pharaoh,  and  that  I  should  bring  forth  the  children  of 

12  Israel  out  of  Egypt  ?  And  he  said.  Certainly  I  ^"will  be  with 
thee  ;  and  this  shall  be  the  token  unto  thee,  that  I  have  sent 
thee  :  when  thou  hast  brought  forth  the  people  out  of  Egypt, 

13  "ye  shall  serve  God  upon  this  mountain.  And  Moses. said 
unto  God,  Behold,  when  I  come  unto  the  children  of  Israfel, 
and  sball  say  unto  them,  ^^The  God  of  your  fathers  hath  sent 
me  unto  you  ;  and  they  shall  say  to  me.  What  is  his  name  ? 

14  what  shall  I  say  unto  them  ?  And  God  said  unto  Moses,  i  am 
THAT  I  am:  and   he  said,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  chil- 

'Vs.  13.  «i  :  iif.  vs.  17  ,  4  :  31  ;  Gen.  16  :  ii;  2q  :  32.  »Gen.  11  :  5  ;  t8  :  21.  '"vs.  17  ;  13 :  5  ; 
33  :  3  ;  Num.  I)  :  27;  14  :8  ;  16:  14  ;  Jos.  5  :  6.  "Cf.  6:2ff.  "6:12.  "Gen.  28  :  20  ;  46  ;  4. 
'«5:  I  ;24:  5-     '•vs.  6. 

*  A  common  form  of  interpolation  is  the  enlargement  or  introduction  of  the 
list  of  seven  Canaanile  peoples.  It  seems  to  be  later  than  the  union  of  J  and 
K  (cf.  Gen.  x.  16  ff;  xv.  19  ff ;  ICx.  xxiii.  23  and  references  above)  and  is  jiiob- 
ably  from  the  hand  of  Rd.  It  is  recognizable  as  an  interpolation  l)y  its  ficqiicn- 
interruption  of  the  connection. 


111.  2c.  THE  CALL  OF  MOSES  AND  AARON.  23 

(Rd)  Uren  of  Israel,  i  am  hath  sent  me  unto  you.*    And  God  15 
said  moreover  unto  Moses,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
Valnveh,  the  God  of  your  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac, 
and  the  God  of  Jacob,  hath  sent  me  unto  you  :  this  is  my  name  for  ever, 
and  this  is  i^my  memorial  unto  all  generations. t 

(J)    ^Cro,  and  gather  tlie  elders  of  Israel  together,  16 
and  say  unto  them,  Yahweh  the  Clod  of  your  fathers, 
the  God  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  hath  ap- 
peared  unto  me,  saying,  I  have  surely  visited  you, 
and  [seen]  that  which  is  done  to  you  in  Egypt:  and  I  17 
have  said,  I  will  bring  yon  up  out  of  the  affliction  of 

(Rd)  Egypt  unto  the  land  of  the    Canaanite,  and  the   Hittite,  and  the 
(J)  Amorite,  and  the  Perizzite,  and  the  Hivite,  and  the  Jebusite.l  UUtO  a 

land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  ^^And  they  shall  18 
hearken  to  thy  voice  :  ^^and  thou  shalt  come,  thou  and 
the  elders  of  Israel,  unto  the  king  of  Egypt,  and  ye 
shall  say  unto  him,  -  Yaliw  eh,  the  God  of  the  Hebrews, 
hath  met  with  us:  and  now  let  us  go,  we  pray  thee, 
three  days'  journey  into  the  w  ilderness,  that  we  may 
sacrifice  to  Yahw  eh  our  God. 

(E)  '-^^And  I  know  that  the  king  of  Egypt  will  not  --give  19 
you    leave    to    go,  -'^no,  not  by  a  mighty  hand.      ^And    I     will    put  20 

'"12  :  42  ;  13  :  9  .  >'Vs.  7!' ;  4  :  29!!.  i*'4  :  31  ;  ct.  6  :  9.  '"5:3.  -"5  :  3  ;  7  :  16  ;  9  :  i,  13  ;  10:  3. 
219  :  30.     '■'^Gen.  20  :  6  ;  31  :  7  ;  Nu.  20  :  21  ;  22  :  13.     -^Ct.  6  :  i  ;  13  :  9.     '^'^ii  :  i  ;  Dt.  34  ;  iif. 

*  From  this  point  on  the  name  Yahweh,  which  has  of  course  hitherto  been 
avoided  in  the  document  E,  is  freely  employed  by  the  Ephraimite  writer. 
However,  the  criterion  is  by  no  means  wholly  lost ;  for  in  the  most  obviously 
original  and  archaic  parts  of  the  document,  and  particularly  in  stereotyped  ex- 
pressions like  "rod  of  God,"  "mount  of  God,"  "angel  of  God,"  the  use  of 
Elohim  and  ha-Elohiiii  is  still  continued.  The  facts  can  scarcely  be  accounted 
for  on  any  other  supposition  than  that  Elohim  or  ha-Elohim  was  the  divine 
name  habitually  employed  in  E's  source,  which  E  of  course  left  as  he  found  it 
previous  to  E.x.  iii.  and  itsnally  left  as  he  found  it  thereafter.  But  when  writing 
de  stio,  or  freely  reproducing  his  source,  he  employs  Yahweh.  In  these  portions 
of  the  E  document  henceforth  the  divine  name  ceases  to  be  a  criterion.  The 
larger  part,  however,  is  still  Elohistic  in  the  strict  sense. 

t  Vs.  15  is  generally  attributed  to  Rd.  Its  linguistic  features  ("genera- 
tions "),  its  superfluous,  reiterative  character,  and  its  solicitude  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  posterity  (cf.  xii.  24,  26;  xiii.  8f,  etc.),  support  this  view. 

%  See  note  on  vs.  8. 


24  EXODUS. 


forth  my  hand,  and  smite  Egypt  with  all  my  wonders  which 
I  will  do  in  the  midst  thereof:  and  after  that  he  will  let  you 

2  1  go.*  ^And  I  will  give  this  people  favor  in  the  sight  of 
the  Egyptians  :  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that,  when  ye  go, 

22  ye  shall  not  go  empty:  but  every  woman  shall  ask  of  her 
neighbor,  and  of  her  that  sojourneth  in  her  house,  jewels 
of  silver,  and  jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment  :  and  ye  shall  put 
them   upon  your   sons,  and    upon  your  daughters ;    and  ye 

4-  (J)  shall  spoil  the  Egyptians.  Alul  Moses  answered  and 
said,  'Bnt,  -behold,  they  Avill  not  helieve  nie,  nor 
hearken  nnto  my  voice:  for  they  will  say,  Yahweh 
liath  not  appeared  nnto  thee.  And  Yahweh  said  nnto 
2  him,  What  is  that  in  thine  hand?  And  he  said,  A 
;,  rod.  And  he  said,  Cast  it  on  the  ajronnd.  And  he 
cast  it  on  the  jL^ronnd,  and  it  became  a  ^serpent;  and 
Closes  fled   from   before  it.     And  Yahweh  said  nnto 

4  Moses,  Pnt  forth  thine  hand,  and  take  it  by  the  tail: 
(and  he  pnt  forth  his  hand,  and  laid  hold  of  it,  and  it 
became  a  rod  in  his  hand:)  that  they  may  believe  ^that 

5  Yaliweh  the  Ood  of  their  fathers,  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, the  (iod  of  Isaac,  and  the  Ciod  of  Jacob,  hath 

6  appeared  nnto  thee.  And  Yahweh  said  fnrthermore 
nnto  him.  Put  now  thine  hand  into  thy  bosom.  And 
he  put  his  baud  into  his  b<>som  :  and  when  he  took  it 
out,   behohl,   his    liand    was    leprous,   as  [white  as] 

7  snow.  And  he  said.  Put  thine  hand  into  thy  }>osom 
attain.  (And  he  jMit  his  hand  into  his  bos()m  anain: 
and  \vh<'n  betook  it  out  of  his  bosom,  l)eh<d<l,  it  was 

s 'tuined  airaiii  as  his  |  other]  flesli.)  And  it  shall  come 
to  pass,  if  they  will  not  believe  thee,  neither  hearken 
to  the  voice  of  the  lirst  sii::n,  that   they  will  believe 

9  the  voice  (►f  the  latter  sign.    And  it  shall  come  to 

SI  II  :af  ;  12:  ^sf.  'f:i8;M:ii  ''S  :  26.  ^Ct.  7  :  gff.  ^  ;  :  ,(,.  »;:2.  ".\u-.  12  :  10  ;  11. 
K'ks.  s  :  27-      '"  Kks.  s  :  10.  14 

*  Vs.  19I)  contiaflicts  \  i.  r  and  xiii.  9  and  is  therefore  treated  as  a  jjloss.  We 
iiiav  however  (witli  Kwald)  cnnjecture  iiii-lo  instead  nf  r.',-/<'  (so  I,\.\.  and 
Vul.«.),  "except  "  instead  of  "no,  not,"  or  even,  witli  Jiil.  and  others,  reject  w. 
igf.  /;/  toto,  as  an  anlicipatorv  inicrpohilion  ;  cf.  iv.  Z\-zy 


I\'.  i6  THE  CALL  OJ-   MOSI-.S  AND  AARON.  2'> 

pass,  if  they  will  not  believe  even  these  two  sii^iis, 
neither  hearken  nnto  thy  voice,  that  thou  shalt  take 
of  the  water  of  the  river,  and  pour  it  upon  the  dry 
land:  ^and  the  water  which  thou  takest  out  of  the 
river  shall  become  blood  upon  the  dry  land. 

^And  Moses  said  unto  Yahweh,  'Oh  Lord,  I  am  not  lo 
eloquent,  neither  heretofore,  nor   "since  thou   hast 
spoken  unto  thy  servant:  for  I  am  slow^  of  speech,  and 
of  a  slow  tongue.    And  Yahweh  said  unto  him,  Who  1 1 
hath   made  man's  mouth?  or  who  maketh   [a  manj 
dumb,  or  deaf,  or  seeing,  or  blind?  is  it  not  I,  Yah  well  i 
Now  therefore  go,  and  I  Avill  be  with  thy  mouth,  and  12 
teach  thee  what  thou  shalt  speak.    And  he  said  Oh  13 
Lord,  send,  I  pray  thee,  by  the  hand  of  him  ''whom 
thou    wilt    send.     And  the  anger   of   Yahweh   was  14 
kindled  against  Moses,  and  he  said,  '^Is  there  not 
Aaron  thy  brother  the  Levite?    I  know  that  he  can 
(E)  speak  well.     [  •  •  •  ] — And   also,   behold,    he  "cometh 
forth  to  meet  thee  :  and  when  he  seeth  thee,  he  will  be  glad 
(J)    in  his  heart* — And  thou  slialt  speak  unto  him,  15 
and  put  the  words  in  his  mouth  :  '^  and  I  w  ill  be  with 
thy  mouth,  and  with  his  mouth,  and  will  teach  you 
what  ye  shall  do.    '"^And  he  shall  be  thy  spokesman  16 
unto  the  i)eople :  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  he 
shall  be  to  thee  a  mouth,  and  thou  shalt  be  to  him 

"7:  20.  »Cf.  6:  10-12.  28^7:  7.  '"Vs.  13  ;  Gen.  43  :  20.  "3:  iS.  etc.  5:  23  ;  9:  24;  Gen. 
3g  ;  5.     i^,,  .  ,g      i3Gen.  13  :  9  :  37  :   13.     'Ws.  27.     'i^Vs.  12.     '"Ct.  7  :  if. 

*  In.sert  after  iii.  14. 

t  "  Yahweh  "  would  be  inappropriate  here.  The  writer  has  in  mind  the 
general  relation  of  the  priest  ("  Levite  "  here  is  not  a  tribal  term  ;  cf.  Is.  Ixvi. 
21.)  to  his  authority  (Dt.  xvii.  9;  xxiv.  8;  Jer.  xviii.  18,  etc.),  hence  the 
generic  "  Elohini,"  "as  liis  God  is  to  the  priest."  The  special  exaltation  of 
prophetism  which  Dillmann  and  others  discover  in  this  passage  is  not  really 
jiresent.  As  the  law-giver.  Moses  is  to  the  priest  "as  God,"  and  the  "  Levite," 
i.  c.  priest,  accordingly,  as  interpreter  of  the  law,  is  Moses'  spokesman  to  the 
people.  As  to  Elohim  in  J  cf.  Gen.  iii.  iff.;  vi.  iff.;  xxxii.  28;  xliv.  16.  As 
to  the  omission  of  J  material  at  this  point,  and  transposition  of  that  contained 
in  iii.  2-iv.  16  for  combination  with  K,  see  .Analysis,  p.  10. 


:^6  EXODUS.  IV.  17. 

17  (E)  as  God.f  [  •  •  •  ] '"And  ihou  shalt  take  in  thine  liancl 
this  rod,  wherewith  thou  shalt  tlo  the  signs. 

18  And  Moses  went  and  returned  to  Jethro  his  father-in-law, 
and  said  unto  him,  Let  nie  go,  I  j^ray  thee,  and  return  unto 
my  ^^brethren  which  are  in  Egypt,  and  see  whether  they  be  yet 

19  (J)  alive.  And  Jethro  saiti  to  Moses,  Go  in  peace.  — And 
Yahweh  said  unto  Moses  in  Midian,  Oo,  rctuin 
into  Egypt:  for  ''all  the  men  are  dead  which  sought 

20  thy  life.  And  Moses  took  his  Avife  and  his  -'son^  * 
and  set  them  upon  an  ass,  and  he  returned  to  the 

(E)  land  of   Kgypt  :    '-'and  Moses  took   the   rod  of   (iod   in 

21  his  hand.  [  .  .  .  j  — And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  When 
thou  goest  back  into  Egypt,  see  that  thou  do  before  Pha- 
raoh all  the  '-^'-wonders  which  1  have  put  in  thine  hanci  :  but  I 
will  ■•^harden  his  heart,  and   he  \x\\\  not  let   the  peoi)le  go. — 

22  (Rd)  And  thou    shalt  say    unto  Pharaoh,  Thus    saith    Yahweh, -•'Israel  is 

23  my  son,  my  firstborn  :  and  1  have  said  unto  thee,  Let  my  son  go,  that  he 
may  serve  me  ;  and  thou  hast  refused  to  let  him  go  :  behold,  I  will  slay  thy 

24  (J)  son,  thy  firstborn.t  Aud  it  cauie  to  pass  ou  the  way 
^"at  the  lodging-place,  that  YahAveh  met  him,  and 

25  ^sought  to  kill  him.  Then  Zipporah  took  a  -'flint, 
and  cut  off  the  foreskin  of  her  son,  and  cast  it  at  his 
-*'feet;  and  she  said,  Surely  a  bridegroom  of  blood  art 

26  thou  to  me.    So  he  let  him  alone.    Then  she  said,  A 


"Vv.  1-9,  20b.  '"Vs.  14b.  ■''2  :  15,  2>-i.  ''"Vs.  25  ;  2  :  22  ;  Ct.  18  :  3f.  ='V's.  17 
lof.  ^3,0  .  20  27.  2<Dt.  I  :  31  ;  8:  5.  "•"'Gen.  42  :  27  ;  43  :  21.  '■'•'060.32:24.  "^'ic 
'■'*Jud.  3  :  24  ;    I  Sam.     24  :  3  ;  Is.  7  :  20. 


*The  plural  termination  seems  from  ii.  22  and  vs.  25  to  be  a  harmonistic 
addition  of  Kje,  necessitated  by  xviii.  3f. 

t  Vv.  21-23  'i''^  assigned  by  many  critics  as  a  whole  to  Deuterouoniic  inter- 
polation, and  the  didactic  or  apologetic  motive  is  indeed  apparent  in  vv.  22f. 
Moreover  this  command  is  never  carried  out,  and  is  obviously  a  premature 
anticipation  of  the  result  of  Moses'  mi.ssion.  The  whole  passage  rather  disturbs 
than  helps  the  connection  ;  but  we  arc  at  a  loss  to  account  for  a  gratuitous 
interpolation.  More  probably  we  should  with  Dillmann  regard  the  substance 
of  vs.  21  as  E's,  removed  from  after  iii.  2z  (note  "when  thou  goest  back"). 
Vv.  22f.  were  then  added  to  afford  ;>  belter  connection. 


IV.  31.  THE  CALL  OF  MOSES  AND  A  A  RON.  27 

bridegroom  of  blood   [art  tbouj   l)eeause  of  the  cir- 
cumcision— [        .  J^' 

(E)     And   Yahweh    said    to  -^\aron,  CiO    into    the  wilder-  27 
ness  to   meet    Moses.     And   he  went,  and   met    him  in    the 
*^mountain  of  God,  and   kissed  him.     And  Moses  told  Aaron  28 
all  the  words  of  Yahweh  wherewith  he  had  sent  him,  and  -^HiU 
(J)  the  signs  wherewith  he  had  charged  him.     '"And  Moses  29 
ami  Aaron  went  and  gathered  together  all  the  elders 
of  the  children  of  Israel :  and   Aaronf  spake  all  the  3° 
words  which  Yahweh  had  spoken  unto  Moses  and  ^^did 
the  signs  in  the  sight  of  the  people.    ''And  the  people  31 
believed :  ''and  when  they  heard   that  Yahweh  had 
3«visited  the  children  of  Israel,  and  that  he  had  seen 
their  affliction,  then  they  'bowed  their  heads  and  wor- 
shipped. 

"Jos.  24  :  3.  3»3:  I  ;  18  :  setc.  3'Vv.  i-g.  8=3  :  i6f.  ;  4  :  i6.  23Vv.  1-9.  s^Vv.  i.  5,  8f. ; 
ct.  6  :  9.     3°3  :  yf.,  i6f.     '"Gen.  21  :  i  ;  (50  :  25).     s'Gen.  24  :  26,  48  ;  Ex.  12  :  27. 

*The  story  of  vv.  24-26,  like  the  similar  one  of  Gen.  xxxii.  24-32  and  that  of 
vv.  10-16,  is  aetiologicai.  The  rite  of  infant  circumcision  is  here  deducfil  fioni 
the  ancient  Semitic  practice  of  bridegroom  circumcision  ;  cf.  Cen.  xxxiv. 
Hence  the  expression  ."  bridegroom  of  blood."  The  act  of  Zipporah,  vs.  25, 
symbolizes  substitution.  Translate  with  margin,  "made  it  touch  his  feet,"  /.  <•. 
the  corresponding  part  of  Moses'  person  (see  refs.).  Moses  is  therefore  iincir- 
iiif/icised  (cf.  vi.  12),  though  this  was  an  Egyptian  practice.  In  Jos.  v.  2f.  Sf. 
(E's)  we  have  the  same  representation  of  the  uncircumcision  of  Israel  in  Egypt ; 
for  "  the  reproach  of  Egypt  "  can  have  no  other  sense.  The  "  flint  knives  " 
confirm  also  the  Egyptian  origin  of  the  rite. 

t  In.  vs.  30  Rje  seems  to  have  interposed  slightly  in  behalf  of  a  clearer  divi- 
sion of  labor  between  Moses  and  Aaron.  The  sense  is  not  altered,  though  the 
reader  is  left  in  doubt  as  to  whether  Moses  or  Aaron  "  did  the  signs."  The 
effort  on  the  part  of  Rp  to  bring  Aaron  into  greater  prominence  is  very  appar- 
ent in  the  succeeding  chh.;  but  from  J's  usual  practice  it  is  probable  that  both 
verbs  of  vs.  30  had  the  same  construction  as  those  of  vs.  29.  If  the  present 
grammatical  sense  of  vs.  30b  is  really  intentional,  it  must  be  due  to  the 
infiuence  of  vs.  28;  butcf.  vs.  17. 


28  EXODUS. 

3.  Chh.  V.  i-\ii.  7.     Thk  Appeal   ro  Pharaoh  and  (Second) 
Commission  of  Moses  and  Aaron. 

ANAL  YS/S. 

Moses  and  Aaron  make  their  demand  upon  Pharaoh,  but  meet  refusal. 
Additional  burdens  are  laid  upon  the  people.  Compelled  to  make  bricks 
without  straw  they  protest  in  vain,  and  at  length  complain  bitterly  to 
Moses.  The  latter  returns  to  Yahweh  for  further  instructions  and  is 
reassured,  v.  i-vi.  i.  God  reveals  himself  to  Moses  as  Yahweh,  a 
name  by  which  hitherto  he  has  not  been  known,  and  sends  him  to  the 
oppressed  children  of  Israel  to  announce  deliverance,  and  that  Yahweh 
will  bring  them  to  the  land  he  covenanted  to  give  to  the  patriarchs.  In 
bitterness  of  spirit  they  refuse  to  believe  the  good  news  ;  vi.  2-9.  Yah- 
weh thereupon  sends  Moses  to  Pharaoh  to  demand  Israel's  release,  but 
Moses  objects  his  inability  to  .speak;  vv.  10-12.  At  this  point  is  intro- 
duced a  genealogical  table,  which  at  the  beginning  appears  to  be  that  of 
all  the  bcni-Isracl,  but  turns  out  to  be  that  of  Levi  only,  and  is  so  de- 
scribed in  vs.  25b.  In  vv.  26f.  the  author  returns  to  the  point  of  depart- 
ure, in  vv.  28-30  reiterating  the  statement  interrupted  by  the  genealogy  : 
v\-.  13-30.  Yahweh  appoints  Aaron  to  be  Moses'  spokesman  to  Pharaoh, 
and  promises  that  he  will  harden  Pharaoh's  heart,  but  compel  submission 
by  signs  and  wonders,  bringing  forth  the  "  hosts  "  of  Israel  with  great 
judgments.  Moses  and  Aaron  do  as  commanded.  The  age  of  Moses 
and  Aaron  ;  vii.  1-6. 

The  obliviousness  of  the  writer  of  vi.  2-vii.  6  to  all  that  has  preceded 
in  chh.  iii-v.  is  palpable.  Not  only  is  their  narrative  completely  paral- 
leled, but  the  author  of  ch.  vi.  seems  totally  unaware  of  the  preceding 
account.  The  revelation  of  the  divine  Name  not  only  ignores  the  pre- 
vious revelation  of  iii.  loff.,  but  ex|)ressly  presents  the  name  Yahweh  as 
hitherto  unknown.  No  allusion  is  made  to  the  previous  promise,  still 
unfulfilled,  in  the  message  given  to  Moses  for  Israel.  In  vv.  10-12 
Moses  is  sent  to  Pharaoh  to  make  the  same  demand  already  made  and 
contemptuously  refused  in  ch.  v.  Yet  Moses  makes  no  mention  that  Pha- 
raoh has  already  refused,  and  even  e.xpelled  him  from  his  presence  ;  but 
objects  his  own  incapacity  to  speak,  though  this  objection  had  already  been 
doubly  met  by  Yahweh  in  iv.  10-16,  and  tliough  when  previously  urged  it 
had  excited  the  anger  of  Yahweh.  \'v.  1 3ff.  hereupon  interrupt  in  extraor- 
dinary fashion  the  connection  of  the  story,  to  make  room  for  a  genealog- 
ical table  explaining  who  this  Moses  and  Aaron  are,  whose  history  we 
have   been   following  already  for  a  period  of  more  than  80  years  accord- 


THE  APPEAL   TO  PHARAOH.  29 

ing  to  the  received  chronology.  At  last  the  thread  of  the  story  is  most 
laboriously  and  awkwardly  resumed  in  vv.  26-30.  Ch.  vii.  1-7  brings  us 
to  the  point  where  we  were  already  in  ch.  v.,  where  Pharaoh  has 
refused,  and  the  divine  compulsion  begins. 

It  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  a  passage  of  equal  length  could  contain 
more,  or  more  convincing  proofs  of  being  wholly  out  of  joint  with  its 
context  and  in  itself.  Again,  it  is  not  theory  but  the  state  of  the  te.xt 
which  demands  some  classification  of  these  chaotic  elements,  and  once 
more  it  is  the  recognition  of  independent  sources  which  furnishes  the 
only  adequate  solution. 

In  ch.  V  we  have  already  seen  that  vv.  if.  4  form  a  duplicate  account 
of  the  interview  with  Pharaoh  related  in  vv.  3,  5ff.  The  latter  belongs 
with  iii.  16-18  (J)  and  is  inseparable  from  the  rest  of  the  chapter  (cf.  vv. 
8.  17,  etc.)  Brief  as  is  this  E  element,  nothing  is  wanting  to  its  com- 
pleteness, with  the  possible  exception  of  vi.  i  (see  note  iti  loc.)  The  rest 
of  ch.  v.  on  the  otljer  hand  shows  all  the  characteristics  of  J's  narrative, 
and  might  be  assigned  to  that  document  on  independent  grounds.  Thus 
we  come  here  again  upon  the  "  taskmasters,"  i.  1 1  :  iii.  7  :  the  policy  of 
breaking  the  spirit  of  the  people  by  forced  labor,  i.  loff.  ;  Israel  a  people 
by  themselves,  vs.  12;  brickmaking  as  their  occupation,  i.  11,  14.  In 
E  on  the  contrary,  Israel's  bondage  is  conceived  as  of  a  domestic  char- 
acter (iii.  2  iff.)  like  that  of  Joseph.  For  linguistic  and  stylistic  affinity,  see 
refs. 

A  totally  different  style  appears  in  vi.  2-vii.  7.  Here  we  find  not  a 
trace  of  allusion  to  the  preceding  narrative  of  JE,  or  of  resemblance  to 
its  style.  On  the  contrary  vi.  2ff.  carries  us  back  to  ii.  23b-25,  repeating 
its  language  in  vs.  5,  and  ignoring  all  that  intervenes.  All  the  allusions 
(cf.  e.  g.,  vv.  4  and  8  with  Gen.  xvii.  8  :  xxviii.  4  ;  xxxv.  1 1  f .)  are  to  passages 
of  the  priestly  document,  and  the  use  of  El-S/iaddai  and  E/o/u'in.  which 
up  to  this  point  has  been  universal  in  P,  is  explained  in  vs.  3.  From  this 
point  on  moreover,  these  names  are  in  the  story  to  which  they  belong 
uniformly  stipersedcd  by  "  Yahweh."  There  can  accordingly  be  no 
reasonable  doubt  of  the  sense  in  which  the  statement  of  vi.  2  should  be 
understood,  nor  of  the  document  to  which  vi.  2-vii.  7  must  be  assigned. 
The  disorder  of  the  text  in  vv.  13-30  is  the  only  point  requiring  elucida- 
tion. 

In  its  present  position  the  genealogy  appears  as  an  afterthought.  The 
writer  is  about  to  say  that  Yahweh  appointed  Moses'  brother  Aaron  to 
be  his  prophet  (cf.  vv.  28  ff. ;  vii.  i.)  when  he  is  interrupted  to  explain 
who  "  this  Moses  and  Aaron  "  are  (vv.  26f.).  For  this  purpose  vv.  2-7 
are  briefly  recapitulated  in  vs.  13  and  the  name  of  Aaron  is  inserted. 


3(1  EXODUS.  \.\. 

Vs.  13  is  necessary  to  vv.  26f.  \'v.  I4f.,  which  are  singularly  inappropriate 
in  the  pedigree  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  are  taken  bodily  from  Gen.  xlvi.  9f. 
and  also  depend  upon  vs.  13  ("  iheh-  fathers").  But  vs.  16  makes  a  new 
beginning  and  affords  us  a  pedigree  of  Moses  and  Aaron  according  to 
the  usual  type  of  P  title  and  all  (see  refs).  Here,  unlike  vv.  I4f.,  the  ages 
are  given,  and  the  generations  are  brought  down  to  the  date  of  the 
Exodus  (cf.  vv.  \\{.  with  Gen.  xlvi.  pf.).  Vs.  25b  contains  the  colophon, 
and  certifies  that  this  is  a  genealogy  of  Lnn,  thus  excluding  vv.  i4f. 
There  is  no  reason  whatever  to  question  the  genuineness  of  vv.  16-25. 
On  the  contrary  they  would  be  recognized  as  unmistakably  from  P^ 
wherever  found.  Only  their  present  position  is  impossible,  and  shown 
to  be  artificial  by  the  elaborate  patchwork  of  vv.  13-15,  26-30,  which 
serve  no  other  purpose  than  first  to  break  the  connection  and  then  re- 
store it  again.  On  the  other  hand  vv.  2ff.,  in  accordance  with  all  the 
previous  structure  of  P^.  presuppose  just  such  a  genealogy  of  Levi  as  vv. 
16-25  ;  otherwise  the  elaborate  system  of  dates  from  the  creation  down 
(cf.  vii.  7  ;  xii.  4of.  and  Gen.  passiDi)  is  suddenly  broken,  and  Moses  and 
Aaron  are  ushered  in  unannounced.  The  conclusion  is  unavoidable  that 
vv.  16-25  originally  preceded  vv.  2ff.,  probably  following  upon  i.  7. 
The  story  of  Moses'  childhood  and  family  relations  in  i.  15-ii.  23a  is  no 
doubt  the  occasion  for  the  displacement. 


5  (E)  ^*\nd  afterward  -Moses  and  Aaron  came,  and  said 
unto  Pharaoh,  Thus  saith  Yahweh,  the  (iod  of  Israel,  Let  my 
(Rje)  people  go,  sthat  they  may  hold  a  feast  unto  me  in   the   wilder- 

2  (E)  ness.*     And  Pharaoh  said,  Who  is  Yahweh,  that  1  should 

':;  :  10.    ■■'Vs.  4  ;  ct.  3  :  18.     '7  :  16. 

*The  last  clause  of  vs.  i.  is  apparently  harmonistic.  Throughout  K's  narra- 
tive nothing  is  said  of  anything  more  or  less  hetween  IMiaraoh  and  Moses  than 
the  simple  demand  here  made  once  for  all :  "  Let  my  ])eople  go,"  which,  when 
refused,  is  followed  by  stroke  after  stroke  of  the  rod  until  granted.  This  is  the 
demand  Moses  is  commanded  to  make  in  iii.  10,  12.  It  is  the  demand  Pha- 
raoh actually  accedes  to.  It  is  that  which  Israel  undertakes  to  carry  out  from 
the  outset.  They  are  not  unprepared  to  leave  as  in  J,  .\ii.  34f.,  39,  but  on  the 
contrary  have  su])i)Iicd  themselves  with  the  portable  "  s])oil  "  of  the  Egyptians 
and  "  the  bones  of  Joseph."  The  latter  are  not  supposed  to  be  taken  up  for  "  a 
feast  in  the  wilderness,"  but  Canaan  is  the  objective  jjoint  from  the  beginning. 
We  cannot  suppose  that  Moses  on  his  own  responsibility  changed  the  message 
to  I'haraoh  with  which  he  was  entrusted,  and  resorted  to  deceit ;  hence  in  the 
absence  of  anything  to  the  contrary,  wc  must  assume  that  in  !•'.  the  demand 
made  of  Pharaoh  was  straightforward,  as  indiralcd  by  iii.  lof.,  jil". 


Y.  II.  THE  APPEAL    TO  PHARAOH.  31 

hearken  unto  his  voice  to  let  Israel  go  ?     1  know  not  Yahweh, 
(J)  and  moreover,  I  will  not  let  Israel  go.[.  .  .]     ''And  they*  3 
said.  The  God  of  the  Hebrews  hath  met  with  us:  let 
us  go,  we  pray  tliee,  three  days'  j(Miruey  iuto  tlie  wil- 
deruess,  and  sacrifice  unto  Yahweh  our  tlod ;  lest  he 
"fall   upon   us   with   pestilence,   or  with  the  sword. 
(E)  And  the  king  of  Egypt  said  unto  them,  Wherefore  do  ye,  4 
^Moses  and  Aaron,  loose  the   people   from    their  works  ?  get 
(J)  you  unto  your  'burdens.     And  Pharaoh  said.  Behold,  5 
^the  people  of  the  land  are  now  many,  and  ye  make 
them  rest  from  their    burdens.     And  the  same  day  6 
Pharaoh  commanded  the  ^taskmasters  of  the  people, 
and  their  officers,!  sayiug,  Yc  shall  uo  mrtre  s;ive  the  peo-  7 
pie  straw^  to  make  ^  brick,  as  heretofore:  let  them  go 
and  gather  straw  for  themselves.    And  the  tale  of  the  8 
bricks,  w  hich  they  did  make  heretofore,  ye  shall  lay 
upon  them  ;  ye  shall  not  diminish  aught  thereof:  for 
they  be  idle  ;  therefore  they  cry,  saying,  "Let  us  go 
and  sacrifice  to  our  God.    Let  heavier  work  be  laid  9 
upon  the  men,  that  they  may  labour  therein  ;  and  let 
them  not  regard  "lying  words.    And  the  ^taskmasters  10 
of  the  people  went  out,  and  their  officers,  aud  they  spake  to 
the  people,  saying,  Thus  saith  Pharaoh,  I  will  not 
give  you  straw.     Go  yourselves,  get  you  straw  where  n 
ye  can  find  it :  for  naught  of  your  work  shall  be  di- 

*3  :  18  ;  7  :  16  ;  8  :  27 ;  10  :  9,  25  ;  12  :  32  ;  15  :  22.  ^4  :  24.  «Vs.  1.  '2  •■  11.  *i  :  ^&.  20b. 
'i  :  II  ;  3  :  7.     '"i  :  14.     'iVs.  3. 

*I.e.  Moses  and  the  elders  of  Israel,  cf.  iii.  18.  In  vs.  20  the  harmonistic 
alteration  here  implied  is  made  explicit  by  the  insertion  of  "  Aaron  "  to  agree 
with  vv.  I  and  4.  But  if  with  most  critics  we  reject  "  Aaron  "  in  vv.  i  and  4 
no  adequate  reason  can  be  given  for  the  alteration. 

t  The  clause  "  and  their  officers  "  seems  to  be  added  for  completeness'  sake 
in  vv.  6  and  10.  Hitherto  in  J  we  have  heard  only  of  "  taskmasters  "  and  it 
is  not  explained  until  vs.  14  who  these  "  officers  "  are.  There  they  are  intro- 
duced as  Hebrews,  and  not,  as  in  6  and  10,  apparently  in  alliance  with  the  task- 
masters, but  beaten  by  them,  and  appealing  to  Pharaoh  in  vv.  I5ff.  as  if  they  did 
not  realize  that  the  command  of  vv.  6  and  10  had  come  from  him.  Previous  to 
vs.  14  therefore,  the  clause  should  probably  be  rejected. 


32  r.xoDrs.  \.  12. 

12  miiiislied.  So  the  people  were  '-seattered  abroad 
throughout  all  the  laud  of  EiJf.vpt  to  gather  stubble 

13  for  straw.  Aud  the  taskmasters  were  "urgeut,  sa.v- 
iug,  Fulfil  your  works,  [.vour|  daily  tasks,  as  wheu 

14  there  was  straw.  Aud  the  officers  of  the  childreu  of 
Israel,  which  Pharaoh's  taskuiasters  had  set  over 
them,  were  beaten,  aud  demanded.  Wherefore  have 
ye  uot  fulfilled  your  task  both  yesterday,  aud  to-day, 

15  in  making  brick  as  heretofore  ?  Then  the  officers  t)f 
the  childreu  of  Israel  came  and  cried  unto  Pharaoh, 
saying,   Wherefore  dealest  thou  thus  with  thy  ser- 

i6vantsJ  There  is  no  straw  given  unto  thy  servants, 
aud  they  say  to  us.  Make  brick  :  and,  behold,  thy 
servants  are  beaten  ;  but  the  fault  is  in  thine  ow  n 
1 7  people.  But  he  said,  Ye  are  idle,  ye  are  idle :  "there- 
iS  fore  ye  say.  Let  us  go  and  sacrifice  to  Yalnveh.  Oo 
therefore  now^,  aud  work  ;  for  there  shall  no  straw 
be  given  you,  yet  shall  ye  deliver  the  tale  of  bricks. 

19  Aud  the  officers  of  the  cliildren  of  Israel  did  see  that 
they  were  in  evil  case,  wheu  it  was  said,  Ye  shall  not 
uiinish  aught  from  your  bricks,  [your J  daily  tasks. 

20  Aud  they  met  31oses  aud  Aamn*,  who  stood  in  the  way, 

21  as  they  came  forth  from  Pharaoh  :  and  they  said 
unto  them,  ^"Yalnveh  look  upon  you,  and  judge;  be- 
cause ye  have  made  "our  savour  to  be  abhorred  in  the 
eyes  of  Pharaoh,  and  in  the  eyesof  his  servants,  to  put 

22  a  sw<ud  in  their  hand  to  slay  us.  ^'Aud  Moses  re- 
turned until  Yaliweh,  and  said,  Lord,  Avherefore  hast 
thou  evil  entreated  this  jieople?  why  is  it  that  thou 

23  hast  sent  me?  F<n-  since  I  came  to  Pharaoh  to  speak 
in  thy  name,  he  hath  evil  entreated  this  people; 
neither  hast  thou  delivered  thy  people  at  all. 

6         (E)  ^Xnd  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Now  shalt  thou  see  what 

"»Gen.  II  :  8,  9  ;  49  •■  7-     "f'cn.  19  :  15  ;  Jos.  10:  13;  17  :  15.     'n'v.  3.  8.  '^Gen.  16  ;  5  ;3i  : 
53  ;  I  Sam.  24  :  12,  15.     "i  :   12  ;  Gen.  34  ;  30.     "Num.  11  ;  iif.     '3  :  i9f.,  4  :  21. 

*Cf.  nnte  on  vs.  3. 


VI.  i6.  THE  APPEAL    TO  PHARAOH.  33 

I  will  do  to  Pharaoh  :   for  °by  a  strong  hand  shall  he  let  them 
go,  and  -by  a  strong  hand  shall  he  drive  them  out  of  his  land. 

(P)  ^And  God  spake  unto  Moses,  a /id  said  unto  him,  I  am  Yah-     2 
weh  :  and  I  appeared  uuto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  /acol),  as    5 
^God  Ahnightv,iu/t  i>v  my  name  )'ahic'eh  /  icas  not  known  to  them. 
And  I  have  also  established  my  covenant  loith  them,  to  i^ive  them  tlie    4 
land  of  Canaan,  the  land  of   their  sojourniui^^s,  iohe/-ein  thev  so- 
journed.    '""And  moreover  I  have  heard  the  ^i^jvaniui^^  of  the  chil-     5 
dren    of  Israel,  whom  the  Ei:;yptians  keep  in  bondai:;e  ;  and  I  have 
remendiered  my  covenant.      Where/ore  say   unto  the    children  of    6 
Israel,  I  am  Yahweh,  and  I  will  briui^  you   out  from  under  the 
burdens  of  the  Egyptians,  and  I  -will  rid  you  out  of  their  bondage, 
and  I  7vill  redeem  you  with  a  stretched  out  arm,  and  with  great 
judgments  :  and  I  ivill  take  you  to  me  for  a  people,  and  I  will  be    7 
to  you  a   God :    and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am    Yahweh  your  God, 
which  bringeth  you   out  from  under  the  burdens  of  the  Egyptians. 
And  I  will  bring  you  in  unto  the  land,  coiu'c  ruing  which  ^I  lifted    8 
up  my  hand  to  give  it  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob  ;  and  I 
7vill  give  it  you  for  an  heritage:  I  am    Yalnceh.     And  Moses    9 
spake  so  unto  the  children  of  Israel :  ''but  they  hearkened  not  unto 
Moses  for  anguish  of  spirit,  and  for  cruel  bondage. 

^And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,   Go  in,  speak  unto  10- 11 
Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  that  he  let  the  children  of  Israel  go  out 
of  his  land.     Ami  Moses  spake  before    Yahweh,  saying,  Behold,  12 
the  children  of  Israel  have  not  hearkened  unto  me  ;  hotv  then  shall 
{^■^)  Pharaoh  hear  nu\  who  am   of  uncircumcised  lips.    And  Yalt-  \t^ 
well  spake  unto  Moses  and  uuto  Aaron,  and  gave  them  a  cfiarge  unto  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  and  utUo  Pharaoh    /dug  of  Egypt,  to   bring  the   children  of 
Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

'^  These  are  the  heads  of  their  fathers'   houses:  the  sons  of  Retdyen  the  first-  14 
born  of  Israel ;  Hanoch,  aiid  Pallu,  Ilezroii,  and  Carnii :  these  are  the  fam- 
ilies of  Reuben.     And  the  sons  of  Simeon  :  Jemuel,  and  famin,  and  Ohad,  and  1 5 
Jachin,  and  Zohar,and  Shaid  the  son  of  a    Canaanitish  woman:  these  are 
(P)  the  families  of  Simeon.* — ^^And\  these  are   the  names   of  the  1 6 

*i3  :  3,  9,  14  ;  Num.  20  :  20.  ^^f  ^  .  i_6^  9-15.  ^Gen.  17  :  i  ;  28  :  3  ;  35  ;  11  ;  48  ;  3.  *2  :  24. 
*Gen.  17:8;  28  :  4  ;  35  :  iif.  ;  Nu.  14  :  30.  'Ct.  4  :  31.  *Cf.  4  :  10-16,  and  vv.  28-30.  'Cf. 
Gen.  46  :  gi.     '"Cf.  1:1;  Gen.  10  :  1-7,  20,  3if. ;  36  ;  9-30.  40-43  ;  6  :  8-27  etc. 

*  Supplementary  redaction  on  basis  of  Gen.  xlvi.  gf.     .See  .'Xnalysis. 
t  Insert  after  i.  5.     See  Analysis,  and  Part  11. 


34  JCXODLS.  VI.  17. 

SO/IS  of  I-cvi  aciordiiii:;  to  their  gciwratioiis  ;  Gershon,  and  Ko- 
/u7t/i,  and  Alcrari   :  ^^aiid  the  years  of  the  life  of  Levi  were  an 

1 7  hundred  thirty  and  seven  years.      7'he  sons  of  Gershon  ;  Libni 

1 8  and  Shiniei,  a  e  cor  ding  to  their  families.  And  the  sons  of  Kohath  ; 
Am  ram,  and  Izhar,  and  Hebron,  and   Uzziel :  and  the  years  of 

19  the  life  of  Kohath  7vere  an  hundred  thirty  and  three  years.  And 
the  sons  of  Merari  ;  Mahli  and  Mitshi.      These  are  the  f  amities  of 

20  the  Levites  according  to  their  generations.  And  Ann-am  took  him 
Jochelied  his  father  s  sister  to  wife  ;  and  she  bare  him  Aaron  and 
Moses  :  and  the  years  of  the  life  of  Am  ram  -a'cre  an  hundred  and 

2  I  thirty  and  seven  years.      And  the  sons  of  Jzharj  Korah,  a?id  Ne- 

22  pheg,  and  Zichri.     And  the  sons  of   Uzziel;  Mishael,  and  Elza- 

23  phan,  and  Sithri.  And  Aaron  took  him  Elisheba,  the  daughter  of 
Amminadab,  the  sister  of  Nahshon,  to  wife  ;  and  she  bare  him 

24  Nadab  and  Abihu,  Eleazar  and  Ithamar.  And  the  sons  of  Ko- 
rah ;  Assir,  and  Elkanah,  and  Abiasaph  ;  these  are  the  families 

25  of  the  Korahites.  And  Eleazar  Aaron  s  son  took  him  one  of  the 
daughters  of  Putiel  to  wife  ;  and  she  bare  him  Phinehas.  These 
are  the  heads  of  the  fathers'  \houses^   of  the  Levites  according  to 

26  (Rp)  their  families.  — These  are  that  Aaron  ami  Moses,  to 'whom  Yahweh 
said,   ^"^Bring  out  the  children  of  Israel  from  the  laud  of  Egypt  according  to 

2  7  their  hosts.  These  are  they  which  spake  to  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  to  bring  out 
the  children  of  Israel  from  Egypt :  these  are  that  Moses  and  Aaron. 

28  ^'■^And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  day  when  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses  in  the  land 

29  of  Egypt,  that  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  I  am  Yalnveh  :  speak  thou 

30  "■'"/"  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt  all  that  I  speak  unto  thee.  And  Moses  said  before 
Yalnveh,  Behold,  I  am  ofuncircumcisedlips,  and  haiu  shall  Pharaoh  hearken 

7  (P)  unto  me?*  And  Yahwch  said  unto  Moses,  See,^l  have  tnade 
thee  a  god  to  Pharaoh  :  and  Aaron  thy  brother  shall  be  thy  prophet. 

2  Thou  shall  speak  all  that  I  command  thee  :  and  Aaron  thy 
brother  shall  speak  unto  Pharaoh,  that  he  let  the  children  of  Israel 

3  go  out  of  his  la  ml.     -And  /  icill  harden  Pharaoh's   heart,  a>id 

4  multiply  my  signs  and  my  wonders  in   the  land  of  Egypt.     Put 

»'Cf.  7  :  7.     >n's.  10.     '3Cf.  vv,  2-12.     'Cf.  4:16.     '4:  21  :  II  :  9f;  14:  4,  17  etc. 

*  A  similar  altcin])t  to  restore  a  l)roken  connection  l>y  rejietition  of  the 
clauses  preceding  the  point  of  ruiiliire  is  observable  in  (Icn.  xiii.  3f.,  after  the 
thread  of  the  narrative  has  been  broken  by  the  insertion  of  xii.  9-20.  See 
Genesis  of  Genesis,  j).  1 2 1 . 


VI 1 .  7.  THE  PLA  G  UES  OF  EG  \  'P  P.  35 

Pharao/t  will  not  Jtcarkcii  unto  you ^  and  I  -will  lay  my  hand  upon 
Egypt ^    and  bring  forth  niy  hosts,  my  people  the  children  of  Israel, 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  by  great  judgments.     And  the  Egyptians    5 
shall  know  that  I  am    Yahweh,  when  I  stretch  forth  mine  hand 
upon   Egypt,  and  bring  out  the  children  of  Israel  from  among 
them.     And  Moses  and  Aaron   did  so;  as  Yahweh  commanded    6 
them,  so   did  they.     ^And  Aloses   was  fourscore  years  old,  and    7 
Aaron  fourscore  and  three  years  old,  when  they  spake  unto  Pha- 
raoh. 


%  II.     Ex.  VII.  8-xiii.  16.     The  Plagues  of  Egypt. 

Prolegomena. 

The  priestly  writer  relates  the  story  in  a  series  of  five  con- 
tests of  Moses  and  Aaron  against  the  magicians  of  Pharaoh,  in 
which  the  advantage  is  more  and  more  markedly  on  the  side  of 
the  former.  No  reason  is  given  for  this  trial  of  strength 
between  Aaron  and  the  sorcerers,  except  "  that  Yahweh's  signs 
and  wonders  may  be  multiplied,  and  the  Egyptians  may  know 
that  he  is  Yahweh."  To  this  end  Yahweh  hardens  Pharaoh's 
heart  (vii.  3f.).  It  is  simply  assumed  that  Pharaoh  will  say, 
"  Shew  a  wonder  for  you  "  (vii.  8f.),  and  again  tacitly  assumed  that 
he  did  say  so.  Thereupon  the  series  of  "  wonders  "  follows  in 
uninterrupted  sequence.  So  mechanically  uniform  and  laconic 
is  the  series  that  there  is  nothing  to  show  that  the  whole  drama 
extends  over  more  than  a  single  day,  a  single  interview,  or  even 
a  single  hour.  The  statement  of  Pharaoh's  inflexibility  after 
one  is  followed  immediately  by  the  command  to  do  the  next. 
In  the  first  three  the  Egyptian  sorcerers  are  able  to  parallel  the 
wonders  of  Aaron's  rod.  In  the  fourth  they  fail  and  acknowl- 
edge that  "  this  is  the  finger  of  God."  In  the  fifth  they  are 
themselves  attacked  by  the  plague,  and  disappear  in  ignomin- 
ious flight  ;  vii.  8-13,  19-22  in  part  ;  viii.  5-7,  15-19  ;  ix.  8-12  ; 
ix.  9f.  After  the  final  discomfiture  of  the  magicians  Yahweh 
himself  interposes  with  directions  to   Moses    to    arrange  for  a 

'6  :  16,  18,  20. 


36  EXODUS. 

feast  to  be  called  the  Passover,  because  Yahweh  is  now  about  to 
go  through  the  land  of  Egypt  smiting  all  the  first-born,  but  will 
"  pass  over  "  the  houses  of  the  Hebrews.  A  sacred  calendar  is 
herewith  begun,  the  year  beginning  with  the  time  of  this  an- 
nouncement. Directions  are  then  given  in  minute  detail  for 
the  observance  of  the  Passover.  The  days  of  the  month  from 
the  loth  to  the  14th  are  to  be  occupied  with  preparations  for 
the  feast,  which  is  to  be  eaten  on  the  evening  of  the  14th  in 
the  manner  prescribed  ;  xii.  1-14. — In  addition  a  further  period 
of  seven  days  is  to  be  observed  from  the  14th  to  the  21st  of 
the  month,  in  which  no  leaven  shall  be  eaten,  a  "  holy  con- 
vocation "  marking  the  first  and  seventh  days.  The  15th  of  the 
month,  as  the  day  on  which  Yahweh  will  bring  "the  hosts" 
of  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  shall  thus  be  commemorated  forever 
and  called  the  Feast  of  Unleavened  Bread  :  xii.  15-20.  Israel 
obeys,  and  Yahweh  does  according  to  his  promise,  and  "  brings 
out  all  the  hosts  of  Yahweh  "  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  at  the 
end  of  430  years,  even  the  "  self-same  day "  ;  xii.  28,  4of. 
Afterward  Yahweh  gives  to  Moses  and  Aaron  precise  instruc- 
tions as  to  who  may  participate  in  the  Passover  feast,  and  to 
Moses  the  law  of  consecration  of  the  first-born. 

In  E  also  there  is  a  series  of  five  plagues,  followed  by  the 
deliverance  of  Israel,  except  that  here  the  death  of  the  first- 
born is  the  fifth  and  final  plague  which  breaks  the  obstinacy  of 
Pharaoh,  and  not  a  separate  divine  intervention  {xi.  i).  Here 
too  the  rod  plays  even  a  more  important  part  than  in  P,  all  the 
plagues  (which  here  are  really  such,  and  not  mere  "  wonders" 
as  in  1',  vii.  9)  being  wrought  by  it,  as  directed  in  iv.  17.  But 
the  rod  is  by  no  means  the  rod  of  Aaron,  as  always  in  P,  nor 
Moses'  staff  (iv.  iff.),  but  *'  the  rod  of  (iod,"  a  special  wonder- 
working rod  given  to  Moses  by  (iod  as  the  seal  and  power  of 
his  commission.  It  reappears  later  in  the  dividing  of  the  Red 
Sea,  smiting  of  the  rock  of  Meribah,  and  defeat  of  Amalek. 
Again  the  narrative  of  E  resembles  that  of  P  in  its  concise- 
ness and  the  rapidity  with  which  one  stroke  of  the  rod  follows 
upon  another  until  the  climax.  The  necessary  duration  of  the 
plague  is  the  only  time  extension  of  the  story.     There    is  abso- 


THE  FLA  G  UES  OF  EG  1  'F  T.  37 

lutely  no  dialogue  after  Pharaoh's  contemptuous  refusal  of  the 
demand  of  oh.  v.  All  appeals  to  the  eye  alone.  Stroke  follows 
stroke  until  Pharaoh  yields,  the  greatest  necessary  interval  of 
time  being  implied  in  the  fourth  plague  story,  where  "none  rose 
from  his  place  for  three  days"  (x.  23)  ;  vii.  15,  17  in  part,  20  be, 
23  ;  ix.  23-25  in  part,  35  ;  x.  12-15  '^^  P'^^'t,  20-23,  -l-  Before 
the  fifth  and  final  plague,  which  will  cause  Pharaoh  to  "  utterly 
thrust  them  out"  the  people  receive  directions  from  Yahweh 
through  Moses  to  borrow  from  their  neighbors  gold,  silver  and 
fine  raiment.  [The  stroke  falls],  and  Pharaoh  calls  for  Moses 
and  Aaron  and  bids  the  people  begone.  In  consequence  of  the 
divine  forewarning  to  ask  jewels  of  silver  and  gold,  and  of 
Yahweh's  interposition  to  "  give  the  people  favor  in  the  sight 
of  the  Egyptians  so  that  they  let  them  have  what  they  asked," 
Pharaoh's  sudden  edict  of  banishment  finds  the  people  laden 
with  the  spoil  of  Egypt  and  ready  to  move  in  battle  array  ;  xi. 
1-3  ;  xii.  3of.  in  part,  35f.     There  is  no  legislative  material. 

The  main  element  of  the  narrative  is  J's.  Here,  however, 
the  representation  bears  a  decided  contrast  to  both  P  and  E. 
The  series  of  plagues  consists  of  six,  culminating  in  the  death 
of  the  first-born  as  the  seventh.  But  Aaron,  who  in  P  is  the 
prime  agent  in  the  execution  of  the  "  wonders,"  who  in  E  drops 
to  the  position  of  Moses'  companion  in  the  two  interviews  with 
Pharaoh  (v.  if.  and  xii.  31),  in  J  drops  out  of  sight  altogether. 
(See  note  on  "  Aaron,"  viii.  8).  Moses  on  the  contrary,  so  far 
from  being  a  mere  oracle  to  Aaron,  as  in  P,  or,  as  in  E,  a  silent 
wielder  of  the  wonder-working  rod,  becomes  here  the  ambassa- 
dor plenipotentiary  of  Yahweh  to  Pharaoh.  Nearly  the  whole 
narrative  consists  of  the  long  interviews  of  Moses  with  Pharaoh, 
in  which  the  vacillating  monarch  maintains  first  a  stubborn 
silence,  then  asks  the  intercession  of  Moses,  resuming  his 
obstinacy  when  respite  comes,  then  promises  release  and  evades 
his  promise,  then  again  repeats  the  same  cycle  of  sullen  silence, 
temporary  yielding,  and  evasion.  Moses,  divinely  instructed, 
^oes  to  the  royal  audience  chamber  and  announces  in  detail 
what  Yahweh  will  do  if  the  demand  of  permission  to  sacrifice  is 
still  refused.     The   infliction    of  the   plague  by   Yahweh  at  the 


38  EXODUS. 

time  and  in  the  manner  predicted,  and  the  immunity  of  Israel, 
is  then  fully  described.  Then  follows  the  effect  upon  Pharaoh, 
of  the  three  different  kinds  above  mentioned,  all  coming,  how- 
ever, to  the  same  result,  that,  "  Pharaoh's  heart  was  'heavy' 
and  he  did  not  let  the  people  go,"  whereupon  Moses  is  again 
sent  with  heavier  threats,  until,  after  the  king's  second  evasion 
(sixth  refusal)  and  Moses'  peremptory  ultimatum,  Pharaoh 
drives  him  out  with  the  threat  of  death  if  he  appears  again. 
To  this  Moses  replies  "  in  hot  anger,"  "  Thou  hast  spoken  well, 
I  will  see  thy  face  no  more,"  and  proceeds  to  declare  how  Yah- 
weh  will  now  smite  the  first-born.  Pharaoh's  servants  shall 
then  come  bowing  down  to  Moses  begging  them  to  be  gone,  and 
after  that  they  will  go  out  ;  vii.  14,  i6f.  in  part,  21a,  24f.;  viii. 
1-3,  8-i5a,  20-32;  ix.  1-7,  13-21,  23b-35,  in  part;  x.  i-ii, 
13b,  i4f.  in  part,  16-19,  24-26,  28f.;  xi.  4-8.  Moses  then  gives 
to  Israel  directions  for  the  observance  of  a  feast  to  be  called 
the  Passover  (xii.  23,  26f.)  with  the  same  derivation  as  in  P 
(xii.  13),  the  provisions  also  being  similar  ;  xii.  21-27.  Yahweh 
at  midnight  carries  out  the  threat  made  by  Moses.  The 
Egyptians  come  entreating  Israel  to  be  gone,  and  urging  them 
forth  in  such  haste  that  "  the  people  took  their  dough  before 
it  was  leavened,  their  kneading-troughs  being  bound  up  in  their 
clothes  on  their  shoulders,"  and,  with  flocks  and  herds  and  a 
mixed  multitude,  go  out.  From  the  unleavened  dough  cakes 
are  made,  whence  originated  the  feast  of  Unleavened  Bread  ; 
xii.  29,  3of.  in  part,  32-34,  37-39,  42.  In  addition  to  the  feast 
of  Passover,  Moses  accordingly  enacts  the  observance  of  this 
feast  and  because  of  the  smiting  of  the  first-born  of  Egypt 
ordains  a  further  law  of  consecration  of  the  first-born  to  \'ah- 
weh  ;  xiii.  3-10,  11-16. 


IVOADERS  WROUGHT  BEFORE  PHARAOH.  ;59 

I.  Chh.  vii.  8-ix.  12.      The    Wonders   Wrought    before    Pha- 
raoh AND  the  Earlier  Plagues. 

ANALYSIS. 

Under  divine  direction  Moses  and  Aaron  appear  before  Pharaoh  again. 
Aaron  casts  his  rod  to  the  ground,  whereupon  it  changes  to  a  "  reptile." 
The  "  magicians  of  Egypt  "  do  the  same,  but  Aaron's  rod  swallows 
theirs.  Pharaoh's  heart  is  hardened ;  vii.  8-13.  The  waters  of  Egypt 
are  next  turned  to  blood,  with  a  similar  result ;  vii.  14-25.  A  plague  of 
frogs  is  inflicted,  which  extorts  from  Pharaoh  a  petition  for  intercession  : 
but  he  afterwards  hardens  his  heart;  viii.  1-15.  The  "  rod  of  Aaron  " 
brings  lice,  but  "  the  magicians  of  Egypt "  acknowledge  their  inability  to 
compete  with  this  divine  wonder.  Pharaoh  is  still  obstinate  ;  viii.  16-19. 
A  plague  of  flies  is  next  inflicted,  after  which  Pharaoh  obtains  interces- 
sion on  the  promise  of  concession,  but  afterward  makes  his  heart 
"  heavy  "  ;  viii.  20-32.  The  plague  of  murrain  is  inflicted  on  the  cattle 
of  Egypt  to  the  destruction  of  all,  while  Israel's  are  spared.  Pharaoh's 
heart  remains  "heavy"  ;  ix.  1-7.  Moses  and  Aaron  sprinkle  ashes  aloft, 
which  cause  boils  upon  all  the  Egyptians.  The  magicians  are  stricken 
and  flee.     Pharaoh's  heart  is  still  "  hardened  "  ;  ix.  8-12. 

In  justification  of  the  description  previously  given  of  the  contrasted 
representations  of  J,  E  and  P,  it  will  be  necessary  to  show  that  the  pres- 
ent text  involves  incongruities  and  improbabilities  for  which  the  analysis 
alone  affords  an  adequate  and  probable  solution.  It  will  not  be  difficult 
even  in  few  words  to  make  it  apparent  that  such  is  the  fact.  Only,  in 
order  not  to  weary  the  reader  with  a  needless  accumulation  of  evidence, 
we  will  carry  the  analysis  no  further  in  detail  than  the  end  of  ch.  vii.,  re- 
ferring those  desirous  of  a  complete  array  of  the  evidence  to  Art.  II. 

Vv.  8-13  are  recognized  as  a  unit  in  themselves,  and  as  consistently 
continuing  the  preceding  narrative  (cf.  vs.  13  with  vs.  3f,  vs.  10  with  vs. 
6,  etc.).  The  same  characters  (Moses,  Aaron,  Pharaoh,  "  the  sorcerers  ") 
appear  in  the  same  role,  with  the  same  expressions  and  same  represen- 
tations,' in  a  series  of  subsequent  passages,  which  relate  three  other 
"wonders"  done  by  Moses  and  Aaron  before  Pharaoh  with  the  same 
result  in  vv.  19,  20a,  21c,  22  ;  viii.  15-7,  I5b-I9  ;  ix.  8-12.  The  type  is  so 
exactly  reproduced  in  each  case- that  it  is  possible  to  give  the  regular 
formula  observed  throughout,  with  only  minor  divergences  :  "  And  Yah- 
weh  said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron,  take  thy  rod  and  .  .  .  And  they 
did  so  :  and  the  magicians  did  in  like  manner  with  their  enchantments 
.  .  .  and  Pharaoh's  heart  was  hardened  and  he  hearkened  not  unto  them. 


40  EXODUS. 

as  Yahweh  had  spoken."  There  can  be  no  question  of  the  affinity  of 
these  passages.  But  it  does  not  appear  why,  after  Moses  was  com- 
manded in  iv.  17  to  do  the  signs  with  his  rod,  or  "  the  rod  of  God," 
Aaron  should  now  be  the  agent,  and  Aaron's  rod  the  means.  Neither 
is  it  apparent  why  a  totally  different  series  of  wonders,  or  plagues,  should 
appear  side  by  side  with  these  whose  purpose  is  different,  (a  punishment 
of  the  land)  the  actors  in  which,  and  phraseology  of  which  are  totally  un- 
like, and  in  which  Moses,  so  far  from  being  in  need  of  a  spokesman  to 
Pharaoh,  conducts  long  negotiations  without  the  assistance  of  Aaron. 
It  does  not  appear  why  the  rod  which  was  changed  to  a  "  reptile  "  in  vs. 
9  should  be  spoken  of  as  changed  to  "  a  serpent  "  in  vs.  15  and  iv.  3ff. 
nor  why,  in  the  stories  of  the  contest  of  Aaron  and  the  magicians,  the 
invariable  formula  is  "  Pharaoh's  heart  was  hardened  as  Yahweh  had 
spoken  "  (cf.  vii.  3)  ;  whereas  in  the  series  characterized  by  Moses  alone 
as  Yahweh's  ambassador,  we  have  invariably  "  Pharaoh's  heart  was 
heavy  "  (R.  V.  "  stubborn  "). 

But  passing  now  to  vv.  14-25  we  ask  first.  Who  smote  the  river  .^  In 
vs.  19  Aaron  is  commanded  to  "stretch  out  his  rod  over  the  waters  of 
Egypt,"  and  it  is  naturally  inferred  that  vs.  20  relates  that  Aaron 
(though  not  bidden)  "  smote  the  river  with  his  rod."  But  in  xvii.  5  Yah- 
weh says  to  Moses  "  Take  /Aj'  rod  wherewith  ^/lon  smotest  the  river." 
Still  again  vs.  25  explicitly  states  that  "  Yahweh  smote  the  river,"  and  vs. 
17  makes  confusion  worse  confounded  by  putting  into  the  mouth  of  Yah- 
weh the  extraordinary  utterance  ;  "  Behold  /  will  smite  with  the  rod  that 
is  in  my  hatid  upon  the  waters  of  the  river." 

But  now  let  it  simply  be  recognized  that  there  is  a  series  of  narratives 
in  which  every  "sign  "  is  worked  by  Moses  with  his  rod,  as  iv.  17  re- 
quires, and  as  we  actually  find  to  be  the  case  in  the  passages  above  as- 
signed to  E,  just  as  in  those  characterized  by  the  presence  of  the  sorcer- 
ers they  are  worked  hy  Aaron  \\\\.\i  his  rod:  and  that  there  is  still  a 
third,  in  which  neither  Aaron  nor  Moses  works  the  signs  and  no  rod 
whatever  appears,  but  Yahweh  himself  acts,  as  is  explicitly  required  by 
vs.  25  and  by  every  one  of  the  announcements  of  Moses  of  what  Yahweh 
will  do,  and  this  difficulty,  together  with  a  whole  series  of  similar  ones, 
vanishes.  This  supposition  is  again  borne  out  by  the  series  of  passages 
already  assigned  to  J.  In  l)oiii  J  and  Ewe  find  in  fact  a  regular  type, 
almost  as  invariable  as  thai  of  P.  In  E  it  is  very  brief,  and  appeals  to 
\.\\&  eye  only:  "And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Stretcii  out  thine  hand 
(or  "smite  with  the  rod  ")  .  .  .  and  Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand 
(smote  with  the  rod),  and  .  .  .  Hut  ^'ahweh  hardened  Pharaoh's  iicart 
and  he  would  not  let  tlu-in  '^o."      In  [it  is  ninrr  daborati-.  and  involves 


IVOA'IJKKS  W'ROLGHT  BEFORE  PHARAOH.  41 

the  cycle  of  changes  in  the  effect  on  I^haraoh  already  described.  It  ap- 
peals almost  exclusively  to  the  ear,  the  scene  being  depicted  almost  wholly 
in  dialogue :  Yahweh  says  to  Moses,  "  Go  in  unto  Pharaoh  and  say  unto 
him,  Thus  saithYahweh,  Let  my  people  go  that  they  may  serve  me.  And 
if  thou  refuse,  behold  I  will  smite  .  .  .  (description  of  the  plague  then 
follows,  with  prediction  of  its  unexampled  severity  and  appointment  of  a 
specified  time  for  its  appearance).  Where  the  immunity  of  Israel  is  not 
otherwise  implied  it  is  distinctly  expressed,  "  And  I  will  sever  in  that  day 
the  land  of  Goshen  "  or  the  like.  Description  of  the  occurrence  of  the 
plague  follows,  exactly  as  foretold,  and  the  three  different  kinds  of  effects 
upon  Pharaoh  in  regular  rotation,  as  above  described.  The  fullest  form 
(four  times)  is  that  wherein  Pharaoh  calls  for  Moses  and  says.  "  Intreat 
for  me,  and  Moses  went  out  from  Pharaoh  and  intreated  Yahweh 
(or  spread  forth  his  hands  to  Yahweh)  and  the  .  .  .  ceased,  and  when 
Pharaoh  saw  ...  he  made  his  heart  heavy  and  did  not  let  them  go." 
Among  the  characteristic  features  not  already  mentioned  is  the  emphasis 
which  is  laid  upon  the  unique  severity  of  the  plague  ("  very  grievous  " 
"  such  as  had  never  been  ")  ;  its  thoroughness,  and  its  equally  complete 
removal  ("  there  remained  not  one,"  "  not  any  green  thing,"  "  not  one 
locust,"  etc.),  in  contrast  with  the  complete  immunity  of  the  land  of 
Goshen.  In  J  moreover  Yahweh  is  always  the  agent  (not  Moses  as  in 
E)  and  operates  by  natural  causes,  winds,  etc.  instead  of  the  rod. 
The  fixing  of  a  time  in  advance  for  the  plague  and  for  its  removal 
IS  also  a  natural  characteristic  of  the  narrative  where  Moses  simply 
announces  in  advance  what  Yahweh  will  do.  Pharaoh's  audience 
chamber  appears  to  be  the  scene  of  these  negotiations,  as  the  open  air  is 
the  necessary  scene  of  E's  majestic  pantomime  with  the  rod.  Other 
characteristics  of  style  and  language  may  readily  be  discovered  from  the 
references. 

In  the  passage  vii.  17-25  the  observance  of  the  references  {e.g.,\^.  16 
to  V.  3,  xvii.  5  to  vs.  17)  and  of  the  consistent  standpoint  of  each  writer 
makes  it  easy  to  assign  every  clause  of  the  confused  whole,  with  prac- 
tical certainty  to  its  respective  source  (See  Art.  II,  pp.  i79ff.).  One 
singular  result  is  that  whereas  there  appears  to  be  not  more  than  a 
single  word  or  so  lacking  to  any  one,  arid  even  that  single  word  capable 
of  being  supplied  with  certainty  from  the  context,  yet  the  miracle  in  J 
(who  has  already  related  the  changing  of  water  to  blood,  for  a  sign  to 
the  people),  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  changing  of  water  to  blood 
at  all,  but  only  a  destruction  of  life  in  the  river  (cf.  xii.  12  P,  the  judg- 
ments executed  against  the  gods  of  Egypt,  and  Is.  1.  2).  In  viii.  i — ix. 
12  there  is  no  trace  of  E,  and  with  the  radically  different  types  of  J  and 


42  /{.VODCS.  VII.  7. 

P  in  mind  the  reader  will  have  no  ditiiculty  in  personally  verifying-  the 
analysis.  Attention,  however,  should  be  given  to  the  marginal  notes  of 
the  R.  V.  ("  heavy,"  and  "strong  ")  especially  in  vii.  9,  I3f.;  viii.  15,  32, 
and    ix.  7.  12. 


7_g     (P)      *A//ci  Yahwcli  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron,  saying, 

9  When  Pharaoh  shall  speak  unto  you,  saying,  SheiL'  a  wonder  for 
you  :  then  thou  shalt  say    unto  Aaron,   Take    thy  rod,  and  cast  it 

10  doavn  before  Pharaoh,  that  it  become  a  serpent.  And  Moses  and 
Aaron  7uent  in  unto  Pharaoh,  and  they  did  so,  as  yah7oeh  had 
co/nnianded :  and   .\aron  cast  doicn    his  rod  before  J^haraoh  and 

1 1  before  his  servants,  and  it  became  a  serpent.  Then  Pharaoh  also 
called  for  the  icnse  men  and  the  sorcerers  :  and  they  also,  the  inagi- 

1 2  cians  of  -Egypt,  did  in  like  nuxnner  with  their  enchantments.  For 
thev  cast   down    cveiy  man    his  I'od,  and   they    became    serpents  : 

13  but  Aaron's  rod  swallowed  up  their  rods.  ^ And  Pharaoh's  heart 
was  hardened,  and  he  hearkened  not  i/nto  them;  as  Yalrweh  had 
spoken. 

14  (J)  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Pharaoh's  lieart 
is  "stubborn,  he  refuseth  to  let  the  people  go  [  .  .  .  1 

15  (E)  (let  thee  unto  Pharaoh  in  the  morning;  lo,he  goeth 
out  unto  the  water  ;  and  thou  shalt  stand  "by  the  river's 
brink    to   meet    him  ;  and  ^the    rod  which  was  turned  to  a  serpent 

16  (J)  shalt  thou  take  in  thine  hand.*  And  tliou  shalt  sa.V 
unto  him,  Yahweh,  the  (iod  of  the  Hebrews,  hatli 
sent  nie   unto  thee,  saving,  l^et  my  people  «<>,  that 

they  may  serve   me  in  the   wilderness:  and,  behold, 

17  hitherto  thou  hast  not  hearkened.    Thus  saith  Yah- 

<('f.  4  :  >--9  ;  vv.  19.  -J2  ;  8  ;  5-7  ;  9-8-12,  etc.  '<X.  vs.  14  ;  8  :  15,  yj.  ;  u  :  7,  .54  etc.  "S  : 
15,  32  ;  9  :  7,  34  t-'tc.     '--■  :  3.      "4  ;  3.  (17  I. XX.)  ;  cl.  vv.  9-12.     »3  :   18:5:  3,  sff. 

*  In  Art  II.  ji.  179  the  last  clause  of  vs.  15  is  not  rejected.  In  view  however 
of  the  preponderance  of  evidence  for  J  in  iv.  iff.  the  general  verdict  of  critics  at- 
tributing the  clause  to  Rje  as  ))reparatory  to  vs.  1 7b  may  be  accepted  ;  or  we  may 
consider  that  an  original  "  and  the  rod  which  I  gave  thee,"  or  tlie  like,  lias 
been  harmonistically  altered  to  the  i)resent  form.  The  assumption  of  such  an 
addition  or  alteration  is  justified  by  the  fact  that  the  I, XX.  insert  the  same 
designation  "which  was  turned  to  .1  sciiicni  "  in  iv.  17,  wlurc  it  ccrtainh  is 
not  genuine. 


VII.    2-^.lV0M)ERS  WROUGHr  BEFORE  PHARAOH.  43 

"Wt^h,  111  tliis  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  Yah>veh 
(E)  behold,  I  will  smite  L  •  •  •  ]  "with  the  rod  that  is  in 
minef  hand  upon  the  waters  which  are  in  the  river,  and  I'-they 
(J)  shall  be  turned  to  blood.  And  the  fish  that  is  in  the  i8 
river  shall  die,  and  the  river  shall  stink  ;  '^and  the 
Egyptians  shall  loathe  to  drink  water  from  the  river. 

(P)  ^^And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron,  Take  thy  19 
rod,  and  stretch  out  thine  hand  oi'er  the  waters  of  Egypt,  over 
their  rivers,  over  their  streams,  and  over  their  poois,  and  over  all 
their  ponds  of  luater,  that  they  may  become  blood  ;  and  there  shall 
be  blood  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  both  in  vessels  of  wood 
and  in  vessels  of  stone.  And  Moses  and  Aaron  did  so,  as  Yahweh  20 
(E)  commanded ;  and  he  lifted  up  the  rod,  and  smote  the 
waters  that  were  in  the  river  ^^in  the  sight  of  Pharaoh,  and 
in  the  sight  of  his  servants  ;  and  all  the  waters  that  were  in 
the  river  were  turned  to  blood. 

(J)  ^*'And  the  fish  that  was  in  the  river  died  ;  and  the  21 
river  stank,  and  the  Egyptians  could  not  drink  water 

(P)  from  the  river  :  and  the  blood  was  throughout  all  the  land 
of  Egypt.      ^' And  the  magicians  of  Egypt  did  in  like  manner  with  22 
their  enchant/iients  :  and  Pharaoh's  heart  7C'as  hardened,  and  he 
(E)  hearkened  not   unto   thou  ;  as    Yahzveh  had  spoken.     And  23 
Pharaoh  turned  and  i^went  into  his  house,  neither  did  he  lay 
(J)  even  this  to   heart.    And  all  the  Egyptians  digged  24 
round  about  the  river  for  water  to  drink ;  for  they 
could  not  drink  of  the  water  of  the  river.    And  seven  -5 

loVs.  25.  "17:5.  '^Cf.  4:9.  '=Vs.  21.  i4Vs.  9  :  8  ;  5,  i6etc.  154  :  21,  30.  i^Vs.  18  : 
Is.  50  :  2.     I'Vs.  n  ;  8  :  7,  18  etc.     "^Vs.  15. 

*  .After  vs.  15  we  are  driven  to  .supply,  "  And  thou  shalt  smite  "  (one  word  in 
Hebrew)  which  requires  the  reading  "  thine  "  instead  of  "  mine  "  in  vs.  17I). 
The  union  of  J  in  which  Yahweh  smites  the  river  (vs.  25)  with  E  in  which 
Moses  smites  it  with  his  rod  (xvii.  5)  has  compelled  Rje  to  omit  the  word 
above  referred  to,  and  make  the  necessary  change  of  one  letter  in  the  posses- 
sive pronoun.  .\  comparison  of  vv.  17,  and  20,  vs.  25  and  xvii.  5  shows  that 
the  change  has  really  taken  jjlace  as  thus  assumed.  The  second  clause  of  vs. 
17  is  possibly  redactional,  though  the  question  is  indifferent  to  ihe  an;ily>is 
(See  Art.  II.) 


44  EXODUS.  VIII.  I. 

(lays  were  fulfilled,  after  that ''Yah weh   had  smitten 
the  river. 
S      And  VahAveh  spake   unto  Moses,  Go   in  unto  Phar- 
a(»h,  and  sa.v  unto  him,  'Thus  saith  Yahweh,  Let  my 

2  people  j;o,  that  they  may  serve  me.  And  if  thou  refuse 
to  let  tiiem  go,   hehold,  I  will   smite   all  thy  borders 

3  with  froiis:  and  the  river  shall  swarm  with  frosts, 
which  shall  ffo  up  and  come  into  thine  house,  and  into 
thy  bedchamher,  and  upon  thy  bed,  and  into  the  house 
of  thy  servants,  and  upon  thy  people,  and  into  thine 

4  ovens,  and  into  thy  -kneading-troughs  :  and  the  frogs 
shall  come  up  both  upon  thee,  and  upon  thy  people, 

5  (P)  and  upon  all  thy  servants.  |  ]  ^And  Yahweh 
said  unto  Moses ^  Sax  unto  Aaron,  Stretch  forth  thine  hand  with 
thy  rod  over  the  riiH'rs,  o'l'ci-  the  streams,  and  07'er  the  pools,  and 

6  ea  use  frogs  to  come  up  upon  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  Aaron 
stretched  out   his  hand  07'er   the  waters  of   Egypt  ;  and  the  frogs 

7  ia)ne  up,  and  covered  the  land  of  Egypt.  ^  And  the  nuigicians  did 
in  lil^e  nia/mer  witli  their  encha/itnie/its,  and  I'rought  up  frogs 
upon  the  land  of  Egypt. 

8  (J)  [  J^Then  Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron,* 
and  said,  Intreat  Yahweh,  that  he  take  away  the  frogs 
from   me,  and  from    my   jjeople ;  and   I  Avill  let  the 

9  people  go,  that  they  may  sacrifice  unto  Y'ahweh.  And 
Moses  said  unto  Pharaoh,  Hav«^  thou  this  glory  over 
me:  against  what  time  shall  I  intreat  for  thee,  and 
for  thy  servants,  and  for  thy  people,  that  the  frogs  be 

'"Vs.  17a.  '7  :  16  ",  vs.  20:  y  :  j,  1^,  i-lc.  '■'12  :  s^.  ^Cf.  7  :  lu.  ■'7'  12  etc.  ''V'v.  -.•5- 
29  ;  9:  28ff. 

*The  ajipearancc  of  Aaron  here  and  in  vv.  12  and  25;  ix.  27  ;  and  .\.  3,  S.  16 
is  certainly  due  to  liarinonistic  interpolation.  It  will  be  observed  that  in  all 
these  cases  Aaron  i.s  a  pure  figure-head,  absolutely  without  a  role.  Though 
Moses  and  Aaron  are  represented  as  entering  together,  in  all  cases  save  vs.  12 
and.  X  8ff.,  Moses  goes  out  alone  ;  and  in  all  that  is  said  by  Pharaoh  or  Moses 
the  presence  of  Aaron  is  ignored  ("Intreat  thou,"  "shall  I  intreat,"  "  he 
said,"  etc.).  .So  in  x.  1  Mo.ses  alone  is  bidden  by  Yahweh  to  go  in  to  Pharaoh, 
and  only  Moses  comes  out,  vs.  6,  and  Pharaoh's  servants  speak  of  the  petition- 
ers as  "  this  man  "  ;  vet  vs.  3a,  ronnecli-d  with  the  rertiiinlv  rcdactional  vv.  lb, 
2,  has  "  .Muses  .,ud  A,,,,',,:'      P.ut  in  ,x.  2.\  .Aaron  is  n..t  even  (ailed. 


VIII.20./Fc;A7^A7v'.s-  wrought  before  PHARAOH.      .      45 

destroyed  from  thee  and  thy  houses,  and  remain  in  the 
river  only  %    And  he  said.  Against  to-morrow.    And  he  i  o 
said.  Be  it  according  to  thy  word :  ''that  thou  mayest 
know  that  there  is  none  like  unto  Yahw  eh  our  God.* 
And  the  frogs  shall  depart  from  thee,  and  from  thy  1 1 
houses,  and  from  thy  servants,  and  from  thy  people ; 
they  shall  remain  in  the  river  only.    And  Moses  and    12 
Aaron  wcut  out  froHi  Pharaoh :  and  Moses  cried  unto 
Yahweh  concerning  the  frogs  "which  he  had  brought 
upon  Pharaoh.    And  Yahweh  did  according  to  the  13 
w  ord  of  Moses ;  and  the  frogs  died  out  of  the  houses, 
out  of  the  courts,  and  out  of  the  fields.    And  they  14 
gathered  them  together  in  heaps:  and  the  land  stank. 
But  when  Pharaoh  saw  that  there  was  respite,  he  15 

(P)  ^hardened  his  heart,  [.   .  .]       and  hearkened  not  unto 
them;  as  Yahweh  had  spoke n.\ 

"^And  Yahweh  said  unto  iMoses,  Say    unto  Aaron,  Stretch    out  16 
thy  rod,  and  smite   the  dust  of  the   earth,  that  it  uuiy  become  lice 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt.     And  they  did  so  ;  and  Aaro/i  17 
stretched  out  his  hand  with  his  rod,  and  smote  the  dust  of  the  earth, 
and  there  were  lice  upon  man,  and  upon  beast  ;  all  the  dust  of  the 
earth  became  lice   throughout  all  the   land  of  Egypt.     And  the  18 
magicians  did  so  7vith  their   enchantments  to   bring  forth  lice,  but 
they  could  not :  and  there  were  lice    upon    man,  and  upon  beast. 
Then  the  magicians  said  unto  Pharaoh,  This  is  the  finger  of  God  :  1 9 
and  Pharaoh's  heart  was   hardened,  and  he  hearkened  not  unto 
them  ;  as  Yahweh  had  spoken. 

(J)  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Rise  up  early  in  20 
the  morning,  and  stand  before  Pharaoh ;  iqo,  he  cometh 
forth  to  the  water ;t  aud  Say  unto  him,  Thus  saith  Yahweh, 

«7:i7;vs.22.    'Vs.  9.    sVs.  32  ;  7:  14;  9  :  7,  34  etc.    ^Cf.  7 :  8ff.  etc.     •"7  :  15. 

*See  note  on  vii.  17. 

t  In  vs.  15  Rp  has  combined  the  concluding  formulae  of  J  and  Pas  the  lan- 
guage shows.     See  margin  in  R.  V.  ("  made  heavy"). 

X  The  middle  clause  of  vs.  20  is  ]5erhaps  borrowed  by  Rje  from  vii.  15,  be- 
cause of  failure  to  understand  the  hjcation  "before  Pharaoh  ";  cf.  i.\.  13,  and 
see  Art.  IT.  p.  180. 


4C.  EXODUS.  Vlll.  21. 

2\  Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may  serve  me.  Else,  if 
thou  wilt  not  let  my  people  i?o,  behold,  I  will  send 
swarms  of  flies  upon  thee,  and  upon  thy  servants,  and 
upon  thy  people,  and  into  thy  houses  :  and  the  houses 
of  the  Egyptians  shall  be  full  of  swarms  of  flies,  and 

22  also  the  ground  whereon  they  are.  And  I  Avill  sever 
in  that  day  ''the  laud  of  (woshen,  in  whieh  my  people 
dwell,  that  no  swarms  of  flies  shall  be  there  ;  to  the 
end  thou  mayest  know  that  lam  Yahweh  in  the  midst 

23  of  the  earth.*  And  I  will  put  a  division  between  my 
people  and  thy  people :  by  to-morrow  shall  this  sign 

24  be.  And  Yahw  eh  did  so ;  and  there  came  grievous 
swarms  of  flies  into  the  house  of  Pharaoh,  and  into 
his  servants'  houses  :  and  in  all  the  land  of  tlgypt  the 
land  was  corrupted  by  reason  of  the  swarms  of  flies. 

25  And    Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  for  Aaron,  and  said, 

26  Go  ye,  sacrifice  to  your  dJod  in  the  land.  And  Moses 
said,  It  is  not  meet  so  to  do;  for  we  shall  sacrifice  the 
abomination  of  the  Egyptians  to  Yahweh  our  Ood  :  lo, 
shall  we  sacrifice  the  abomination   of  the  Egyptians 

27  before  their  eyes,  and  will  th(\v  not  stcnie  us  ?  ''\Ye 
will  go  three  days' Journey  into  the  wilderness,  and 
sacrifice  to  Yahweh  our  (iod,  as  he  shall  command  us. 

28  And  Pharaoh  sai<l,  1  will  let  you  go,  that  ye  may 
sacrifice  to  Yahw  eh  your  (iod  in  the  w  ilderness  ;  only 

29  ye  shall  not  go  very  far  away  :  intreat  for  me.  And 
Moses  said,  Behold,  I  go  out  from  thee,  and  I  will 
intreat  A'ahweh  that  the  swarms  of  flies  may  depart 
from  Pharaoh,  from  his  servants,  and  from  his 
people,  to-mcM-row :  only  let  not  Pharaoh  di'al  deceit- 
fully any  more  in  n(»t  letting  the  jn'oplego  to  sacrifice 

30  to  Yahweh.     Ant!  >loses  went  out  fr<Mn  Pharaoh,  and 

31  intreat<'d  Yahweh.  And  Yahweh  <li<l  acc(U-ding  to  the 
word  of  Moses;  and  he  removed  the  swarms  of  flies 
from    IMiarnoh,    t'rtMn    his    servants,    and    from    his 

"  Cicn.  n(>  :  .>Sf.,  ;4;  47  :  i,  4,6.  27;  Kx.  9  :  26.    "; :  18;  5:3  etc. 
*  See  note  on  vii.  17. 


IX.  12.     Jl'ONV/iA'S   WROUGHT  BEFORE  PHARAOH.  47 

people  ;  '^there  leiuaiiied  not  one.    And  Pharaoh  hard-  32 
ened  his  heart  this  time  also,  and   he  did  not  let  the 
people  go 

^Then  Yahweh  said  nnto  Moses,  Go  in  unto  Pharaoh,    9 
and  tell   him.  Thus  saith   Yahweh,  the  Ood   of  the 
Hebrews,  Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may  serve  me. 
For  if'thon  refuse  to  let  them  go,  and  wilt  hold  them    2 
still,  behold,  the  hand  of  Yahweh  is   upon  thy  cattle    3 
which  is  in  the  field,  upon  the  horses,  upon  the  asses, 
upon  the  camels,  upon  the  herds,  and  upon  the  flocks: 
[there  shall  be]  a  very  grievous  murrain.  And  Yahweh    4 
shall  sever  between  the  cattle  of  Israel  and  the  cattle 
of  Egypt  :  and  there  shall  nothing  die  of  all  that  be- 
longeth  to  the  children  of  Israel.    And  Yahweh  ap-    5 
pointed  a  set  time,  saying.    To-morrow  Yahweh  shall 
do  this  thing  in  the  land.    And  Yahweh  did  that  thing    6 
2on  the  morrow,  and  all  the  cattle  of  Egypt  died  :  but 
of  the  cattle  of  the  children  of  Israel  died  not  one. 
And  Pharaoh  sent,  and,  behold,  there  w  as  not  so  much    7 
as  one  of  the  cattle  of  the  Israelites  dead.     But  the 
heart  of  Pharaoh  was  stubborn,  and   he  did  not  let 
the  people  go. 

(P)     '■''And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron,  Take  to    8 
xoii  handfuls  of  ashes  of  the  furnace,  and  let  Moses  sprinkle  it  toio- 
ard  the  heaven  in  the  sight  of  Pharaoh.     And  it  shall  become  small    9 
dust  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  shall  be  a  boil  breaking  forth 
ivith  blains  upon  man  and  upon   beast,  throughout  all  the  land  of 
Egypt.      And  they  took    ashes    of  the  furnace,  and  stood   before  10 
Pharaoh  ;  and  Moses  sprinkled  it  up  toward  heaven  ;  and  it  be- 
came a  boil  breaking  forth  with    blains  tipon  man  and  upon  beast. 
And  the  magicians  could  not  stand  before  Moses  because  of  the  boils  ;  1 1 
for  the  boils  were  upon  the  magicians.,  and  upon  all  the  Egyptians. 
And  Yahweh  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh,  and  he  hearkened  12 
not  unto  them  ;  as  Yahweh  had  spoken  unto  Moses. 

"9  ;  7  ;  10  :  15,  19  ;  12  :  30  ;  14  :  28.     '8  :  iff.  2off.  etc.     ^3  ;  g,  23  ;  10  :  13  ;  14  :  21,  24  ;  Nu. 
II  :  18.    3;  :8ff.  igf.  etc. 


48  EXODUS.  IX. 

2.  Chh.  ix.  13-xi.  10.     The  Final  Plagues. 

A.VALYS/S. 

Moses  is  sent  to  Pharaoh  to  threaten,  in  case  of  further  refusal,  the 
plague  of  hail ;  ix.  13-21.  He  is  bidden  to  stretch  forth  the  rod  toward 
heaven,  whereupon  comes  hail  and  thunder  killing  man  and  beast  and 
destroying  the  crops.  Pharaoh  begs  Moses'  intercession,  but  afterwards 
becomes  again  obstinate  ;  ix.  22-35.  Moses  is  again  sent  in  to  Pharaoh 
to  demand  the  people's  release  under  penalty  of  a  plague  of  locusts. 
Pharaoh's  servants  intercede,  but  Pharaoh  offers  only  to  compromise  ;  x. 
i-li.  Moses,  at  Yahweh's  command,  stretches  out  his  rod  toward 
heaven  and  the  locusts  appear.  Pharaoh  again  begs  Moses'  intercession, 
but  after  removal  of  the  plague  is  obdurate  ;  x.  12-20.  Moses'  rod  next 
brings  three  days'  darkness.  Thereafter  Pharaoh  summons  Moses  and 
proposes  a  final  compromise  ;  he  refuses,  and  is  driven  out  under  threat 
of  death  ;  x.  21-29.  J"  preparation  for  the  final  plague  Yahweh  bids 
Moses  direct  the  people  to  obtain  the  portable  riches  of  the  Egyptians  ; 
xi.  1-3.  Moses  (again  in  Pharaoh's  presence)  foretells  to  him  the  ven- 
geance of  Yahweh,  and  goes  out  in  hot  anger  ;  xi.  4-8.  In  a  colophon 
to  the  series  of  plagues  the  author  declares  their  lack  of  effect  on  Pharaoh 
to  have  been  divinely  intended  for  the  multiplication  of  the  wonders  ;  xi. 

In  chh.  ix.  13-xi.  the  only  traces  of  P  are  the  single  clause,  ix.  35b, 
"  As  Yahweh  had  spoken  by  Moses,"  and  the  colophon  xi.  gf,  which  re- 
peats at  the  conclusion  of  the  plague  section  the  preliminary  explanation 
of  vii.  3ff.  (P).  Both  are  probably  due  simply  to  supplementary  redaction 
by  Rp.  (See  Art.  11,  and  notes  zn  he).  Nevertheless  we  discover,  as 
usual,  that  freedom  from  P  by  no  means  ensures  unity  of  the  text.  If 
anything,  the  discordances  and  incongruities  of  chh.  ix-xi.  are  greater 
than  anywhere  else. 

Thus  Moses,  after  having  been  expelled  by  Pharaoh  in  x.  28  with  the 
threat  of  death  upon  his  reappearance,  and  after  having  boldly  answered, 
"Thou  hast  spoken  well,  I  will  see  thy  face  no  more,"  is  found  in  xi.  i- 
3  directing  the  people  how  to  spoil  the  E^gyptians  ;  but  thereafter,  without 
divine  direction,  without  any  apparent  occasion,  in  xi.  4,  he  reappears 
in  Pharaoh's  presence,  declaring  how  Israel  will  be  brought  out,  and 
finally  leaves  the  royal  presence  "in  hot  anger."  We  assume  that  his 
anger  is  because  of  the  ill-treatment  received  on  the  former  occasion, 
when  he  had  gone  away  promising  never  to  return ;  but  how  is  it 
possible  for  anything  to   be  more  awkward  than  this  return  and  belated 


IX.  THE  FINAL  PLAGUES.  49 

indignation  of  Moses,  as  if  fie  fiad  subsequently  recollected  the  anger  he 
should  have  shown,  and  the  threat  he  should  have  made  before  leaving 
the  first  time. 

The  supposition  that  xi.  1-3  was  originally  intended  to  interrupt  the 
absolutely  necessary  connection  of  xi.  4-8  with  x.  28f.  involves  absurd- 
ities greater  than  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  conceive.  Nothing  in 
fact  save  the  alternative  absurdity  of  making  Moses  first  denounce  the 
final  plague,  as  in  xi.  4-8,  and  afterward  receive  notice  of  it  from  Yah- 
weh,  as  in  xi.  1,  could  have  occasioned  such  an  extraordinary  combination 
by  Rje.     But  omit  the  intrusive  verses  xi.  1-3  (E)  and  read  xi.  4-8  after 

X.  28f.  especially  comparing  xi.  8  with  x.  29,  and  observe  the  magnificent 
climax  of  eloquence  attained. 

Scarcely  less  remarkable  are  the  dissonances  in  chh.  ixf.  In  ix.  19-21, 
22,  25a  the  objects  against  which  the  hail  is  especially  directed  are  the 
cattle,  men  and  beasts  in  the  field.  But  according  to  the  preceding  ix.  6 
not  one  solitary  beast  of  the  Egyptians  was  left  alive  by  the  inurram. 
The  only  cattle  left  are  the  Hebrews'  cattle  !  In  x.  3ff.  Moses  and  Aaron 
go  in  and  deliver  to  Pharaoh  a  long  message  purporting  to  be  from 
Yahweh  ;  but  have  not  yet  received  any,  as  at  other  times,  to  communi- 
cate! In  x.  13  after  Moses  has  stretched  out  his  rod  for  the  locusts  we 
expect  them  to  come  :  but  as  the  text  stands,  either  Moses  stood  all 
night  with  outstretched  hand  waiting  for  them  to  appdtir,  or  else  he 
stretched  out  his  rod  with  the  same  dramatic  effect  as  in  previous  in- 
stances, but  this  time  nothing  happened  for  twenty-four  hours  I  After 
this,  duplications  like  ix.  23,  where  after  sending  hail,  thunder  and  fire 
in  response  to  the  uplifted  rod,  Yahweh  further  rained  more  hail  and 
more  fire  upon  the  land  of  Egypt,  or  like  vs.  25a  and  b,  or  34=35  or  x.  15b 
=I5C,  scarcely  surprise  us.  But  we  do  ask  why,  after  Moses  in  x.  4f.  has 
fully  foretold  that  on  the  morrow  Yahweh  v^'xW  bring  the  locusts  in 
such  a  way,  and  is  driven  out  from  Pharaoh's  presence,  it  is  still 
necessary  for  him  to  go  out  all  alone  and  stretch  out  his  rod  over  the 
land  of  Egypt,  especially  as  nothing  happens  till  the  next  day,  and  then 
it  is  not  the  rod,  but  the  "east  wind,"  that  brings  the  locusts. 

In  place  of  these  extraordinary  discrepancies  we  have  but  to  seek  the 
elements  in  these  chapters  corresponding  to  the  types  respectively  de- 
scribed as  those  of  J  and  E,  and  every  discrepancy  vanishes.  In  place 
thereof  appear  two  parallel  narratives  absolutely  self-consistent,  character- 
istic, and  complete  to  the  very  last  word,  each  a  masterpiece  of  simplicity, 
force  and  reaHsm.  The  hail  is  directed  against  the  cattle  in  E,  because 
this  document  knows  no  plague  of  murrain.  The  seemingly  unauthor- 
ized address  of  Moses  and  Aaron  to  Pharaoh  is  explained  when  it  appears 


50  EXODUS.  IX.  13. 

that  X.  lb,  2  is  a  Deuteronomic  interpolation  of  a  familiar  type,  whose 
insertion  has  compelled  an  alteration  of  vs.  3  from  the  imperative  to  the 
past  indicative  (See  note  in  loc).  The  apparently  solitary  pantomime 
of  X.  1 2f.  loses  its  absurdity  when  it  is  preceded  by  its  original  context, 
i.  c.  Moses  in  Pharaoh's  presence,  instead  of  the  story  of  expulsion  from 
the  palace  ;  and  when  the  story  of  Yahweh's  bringing  the  locusts  by  a 
strong  east  wind  blowing  all  night,  is  detached  from  that  which  makes 
the  rod  the  agency,  Moses  is  no  longer  obliged  to  wait  all  night  for  their 
appearance.  The  doublets  are  explained,  the  intolerable  interruption  of 
X.  28f.;  xi.  4-8  by  xi.  1-3  is  also  explained.  Moreover  each  element  thus 
extricated  is  found  to  reproduce  the  type  already  previously  exemplified 
in  the  corresponding  document. 

For  details  of  the  analysis  the  reader's  attention  is  called  to  the  refer- 
ences, especially  the  close  correspondence  of  prediction  and  fulfilment  in 
J  (cf.  ix.  18  with  vs.  24  ;  x.  4f.  with  vs.  14,  etc.)  ;  to  the  typical  form  of 
plague  narrative  in  J  and  E  ;  and,  for  a  complete  presentation  of  the 
evidence,  to  Art.  II.  In  the  hail  story  of  J  it  should  be  observed  that 
"  every  herb  of  the  field  and  every  tree  of  the  field  "  is  the  object  of 
destruction;  hence  the  exception  in  ix.  3 iff.  of  ungrown  crops.  In  E 
where  the  hail  is  "  upon  man  and  upon  beast  "  this  exception  has  of 
course  no  place.  Both  however  relate  the  entire  consuming  of  vegetation 
(E,  "herb  of  the  land,"  J,  "  herb  of  l\i&  field'')  by  the  locusts.  The 
plague  of  darkness  (x.  21-23)  is  related  by  E  alone ;  for  the  passage  dis- 
plays its  E  origin  by  the  part  assigned  to  the  "  rod  "  and  the  presupposition 
that  the  "dwellings  of  Israel"  are  intermingled  with  the  Egyptians' 
instead  of  in  "  the  land  of  Goshen."  At  the  same  time  there  is  no  trace 
of  a  duplicate  structure.  Possibly  the  darkening  of  "  the  whole  land" 
by  the  cloud  of  locusts  (x.  15a,  J)  may  to  some  extent  be  regarded  as  a 
parallel.  Throughout  this  subsection  the  respective  characteristics  of  J 
and  E  already  spoken  of  will  be  found  abundantly  exemplified.  In  J  the 
scene  is  depicted  in  the  dialogue,  in  E  related.  J  addresses  the  ear ;  E 
the  eye.  In  J  Moses  has  only  to  deliver  Yahweh's  message  and  negoti- 
ate, while  Yahweh,  as  agent,  operates  through  natural  causes  ;  in  E 
Moses  has  only  to  act  without  speaking.  Other  characteristics  are 
readily  discoverable. 


13     (J)    *Aiid  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Rise  up  early 
in  the  morning,  and  stand  before  Pharaoh,  and  say 


IX.  23.  THE  FINAL  PLAGUES.  51 

unto  him.  Thus    saith    Yahweh,  the   God    of   the 
Hebrews,  Let  uiy  people  go,  that  they  may  serve  me. 
For  I  will  this  time  seud  all  my  plagues  upon  thine  14 
heart,  and  upon  thy  servants,  and  upon  thy  people; 
that  thou  mayest  know  that  there  is  none  like  me  in 
all  the  earth.    For  now  I  had  put  forth  my  hand,  and  15 
smitten  thee  and  thy  people  with  pestilence,  and  thou 
hadst  been  cut  oft*  from  the  earth :  but  in  very  deed  16 
for  this  cause  have  I  made  thee  to  stand,  for  to  shew 
thee  my  power,  and  that  my  name  may  be  declared 
throughout  all  the  earth.*     ^As  yet  exaltest  thou  17 
thyself  against  my  people,  that  thou  wilt  not  let 
them  go  \    Behold,  to-morrow  about  this  time  I  will  18 
cause  it  to  rain  a  «very  grievous  hail,  such  as  hath 
not  been  in  Egypt  since  the  day  it  was  founded  even 

(Rd)     until  now.      Now  therefore  send,  hasten   in   thy  cattle  and  all  19 
that  thou  hast  in  the  field ;   [for]  every  man  and  beast  which  shall  be  found 
in    the  field,  and  shall  not  be  brought  home,  the  hail  shall  come  down  upon 
them,  and  they  shall  die.     He  that  feared  the  word  of  Yahweh  among  the  20 
servants  of  Pharaoh  made  his  servants  and  his  cattle  flee  into  the  houses : 
and  he   that  regarded   not  the  word  of   Yahweh  left  his  servants  and    his  2 1 
cattle  in  the  field.! 

(E)     And  Yahweh  said    unto  Moses,  ^Stretch  forth  thine  22 
hand  toward  heaven,  that  there  may  be  hail  in  all  the  land  of 
Egypt,  upon  man,  and  upon  beast,  ^and  upon  every  herb  of  the  fieldf 
throughout  the  land  of  Egypt.     And  Moses  ^stretched  forth  2^ 
his  rod  toward  heaven  :  and  Yahweh  sent  thunder  and  hail, 
(J)  and  fire  ran  down  unto  the  earth  ;  and  "Yahweh  rained 

*7  :  16.  •'Vv.  3,  24  ;  10  :  6,  14  ;  11  :  6.  ''lo  :  iii.,  ill.  ^Vs.  25  :  ct.  10  :  12,  15.  'lo  :  13, 
22.     '"Gen.  19  :  24. 

*Probably,  though  not  necessarily,  vv.  13-16  are  a  didactic  interpolation. 
See  note  on  vii.  17  and  Art.  II. 

tThe  didactic  interest  of  vv.  19-21  is  plain  in  the  discrimination  between 
"  him  that  feared  the  word  of  Yahweh  "  and  "  him  that  regarded  not  the  word 
of  Yahweh  among  the  servants  of  Pharaoh  "  and  in  the  precautions  against 
destruction  of  innocent  life  (Cf.  Gen.  xviii.  23-32) ;  but  cf.  especially  vs.  6  (J) 
and  the  observations  above  (Analysis,  p.    49f. ). 

J  The  clause  in  small  type  is  assigned  on  linguistic  grounds  to  Rje  ;  E  has 
"  herb  of  the  lainf  in  all  cases  ;  cf.  x.  12,  15. 


52  EXODUS.  IX.  24. 

24  hail  upon  the  land  of  Egypt.  "So  there  was  hail,— and 
fire  mingled  with  the  hail,— *Tery  grievous,  such 
as  had  not  been  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt  since  it  be- 
came  a  nation. 

25  (E)  And  the  hail  smote  throughout  all  the  land  of 
(J)  Egypt  all  that  was  m  the  field,  both  man  and  beast;  and 
the  hail   smote  every  herb  of  the  field,  and   brake 

-'6  every  tree  of  the  field.  ^'Only  in  the  land  of  Goshen, 
where  the  children  of  Israel  were,  was  there  no  hail. 

27  And  Pharaoh  sent,  and  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron,  and 
said  unto  them,  I  liavc  siuucd  this  time  :   Yahweh   is 

28  righteous,  and  I  and  my  people  are  wiclied.  Intreat 
Yahweh ;  for  there  hath  been  enough  of  [these] 
^^mighty  thunderings  and  hail ;  and  I  will  let  you  go, 

29  and  ye  shall  stay  no  longer.  And  Moses  said  unto 
him.  As  soon  as  I  am  gone  out  of  the  city,  I  will 
spread  abroad  my  hands  unto  Yahweh  ;  the  thunders 
shall  cease,  neither  shall  there  be  any  more  hail; 
that  thou  niayest  know  that  the  earth  is  Yahweh's. 

30  (Rp)  But  as  for  thee  and  tliy  servants,  I  kncnu  that  ye  will  )iot  yet  fear  Yah- 

31  (J)  iveh  God.  And  the  flax  and  the  barley  were  smitten : 
for  the  barley  was  in  the  ear,  and  the  flax  was  boiled. 

32  But  the  wheat  and  the  spelt  were  not  smitten ;  for 
IZ  they  were  not  grown  up.    And  Moses  went  out  of  the 

city  from  Pharaoh,  and  spread  abroad  his  hands  unto 
Yahweh  :  and  tlie  ^^thunders  and  hail  ceased,  and  the 

34  rain  was  not  poured  upon  the  earth.  And  wlien  Pha- 
raoh saw  that  the  rain  and  the  hail  and  the  thunders 
were  ceased,  lie  sinned  yet  more,  and  ^^hardened  his 

35  (E)  heart,  lie  and  his  servants.  And  the  heart  of  Pha- 
raoh was  hardened,  and  he  did  not  let  the  children  of  Israel 

go ;    i^rtj  Yahzueh  had  spoken  by  MosesA 
"Vs.  18.     '"S:  22  etc.    »3Gen.  30  :  8  ;  35  :  5.    '<Vs.  28.    i";  :  14  ;  8:  15,  32  etc. ;  ct.  Vs.  ^5. 
'"7  :  13,  22  ;  8  :  15,  ig  ;  9  :  12  etc. 

*The  first  two  clauses  of  vs.  24  should  e.xchange  places.  Read"  And  Yah- 
weh rained  hail  upon  the  land  of  Kgypt,  and  fire  flashing  continually  amidst  the 
hail.     So  there  was  a  very  grievous  hail,  such  as  "  etc.     Cf.  vs.  18. 

\  For  supplementary  redaction  in  vv.  27,  29b    see  notes    on  viii.  8  and  vii.  17 


X.  7.  THE  FINAL  PLAGUES.  53 

(J)    'And  Yaliweh  said  unto  Moses,  Go  in  unto  Pha-  10 

(Rd)  raoll  l   for  I  have  hardened  his  heart,  and  the  heart  of  his  servants, 
-that   I  might    shew  these  my  signs   in   the  midst  of  them  :  ^and  that  thou    2 
mayest  tell  in  the  ears  of  thy  son,  and  of  thy  son's  son,  what  things  I  have 
wrought  upon  Egypt,  and  my  signs  which  I  have  done  among  them,  ^that  ye 
may  know  that  I  am   Yahweh.     And   Moses  and   Aaron  went  in  unto  Pha-    ^ 

(J)  raoh*  and  said  unto  him,  Thus  saith  Yahweh,  the 
God  of  the  Hebrews,  ^How  long  wilt  thou  refuse  to 
humble  thyself  before  me?   let  my  people  go,  that 
they  may  serve  me.    Else,  if  thou  refuse  to  let  my    4 
people  go,  "^behold,  to-morrow  w  ill  I  bring  locusts  into 
thy  border :    and  they  shall  cover  the  face  of  the    5 
earth,  that  one  shall  not  be  able  to  see  the  earth  :  and 
they  shall  eat  the  residue  of  that  which  is  escaped, 
Avhich  remaineth  unto  you  from  the  hail,  and  shall 
eat  tdy^v^  tree  which  grow  etli  for  you  out  of  the  field  : 
and  thy  houses  shall  be  filled,  and  the  houses  of  all    6 
thy  servants,  and  the  houses  of  all  the  Egyptians  ;  ^as 
neither  thy  fathers  nor  thy  fathers'  fathers  have  seen, 
since  the  day  that  they  w  ere  upon  the  earth  unto  this 
day.    And  he  turned,  and  went  out  from  Pharaoh. 
And  Pharaoh's  servants  said  unto  him,  How  long  shall    7 
this  man  be  a  snare  unto  us  ?  let  the  men  go^  that 

'8  :  I  ;  Q  :  I  etc.  ''n  :  gf.  ^12  :  26f.  ;  13  :  8,  14  etc.  ''7  :  17:8:  10,  22  ;  9  :  14-16,  29. 
H's.  7  ;  16  :  28  ;  Nu.  14:  II.     «Vs.  isf.     'Vs.  14  :  11  :  6. 

respectively.  Vs.  30  appears  to  be  certainly  late.  It  manifestly  interrupts  the 
connection.  The  last  clause  of  vs.  35  is  a  scribal  attempt  at  assimilation  to 
ix.  12,  (P).  "  Voices  of  God  "  (see  margin,  R.V.,  vs.  28)  is  a  specific  term  for 
thunder.  I,t  is  in  accordance  with  the  usual  practice  of  J  to  employ  Elohim  in 
such  cases.     Cf.  iv.  16;  xxiv.  ri  ;  Gen.  vi.  2ff.,  etc. 

*It  is  the  invariable  practice  of  J  in  all  the  plague  narratives  (see  type-form 
in  Analysis,  p.  41)  to  give  in  full  the  instructions  to  Moses  and  leave  to  be  un- 
derstood the  carrying  out  (cf.  vs.  6).  For  "said  "  in  vs.  3  we  should  therefore 
in  all  probabilty  read  "say."  The  reason  for  the  alteration  appears  in  the 
passage  printed  in  smaller  type,  wherein  every  feature  is  characteristic  of  Rd. 
We  note  e.  g.,  "  hardened  "  for  "  heavy  "  ;  ''  that  ye  may  know  "  etc. ;  the 
didactic  interest ;  solicitude  for  the  instruction  of  posterity,  etc.  Moreover  the 
parenthetic  character  of  ib,  2  is  apparent,  and  the  interruption  of  the  original 
connection  has  the  effect  of  making  Moses  deliver  a  message  before  he  re- 
ceives it. 


54  JLXDDUS.  X.  8. 

they  may  serve  Yalnveh  their  God  :  kiiowest  thou  not 

8  yet  that  Ei^ypt  is  destroyed  I  And  Moses  and  Aaron* 
were  brought  again  unto  Pharaoli  :  and  he  said  unto 
them,  Go,  serve  Yahweh  your  God :  but  who  are  they 

9  that  shall  go?  sAnd  Moses  said,  TTe  will  go  with  our 
young  and  with  our  old,  with  our  sons  and  with  our 
daughters,  with  our  flocks  and  with  our  herds  will  we 

10  go  ;  for  we  must  hold  a  feast  unto  Yahweh.  And  he 
said  unto  them.  So  be  Yahweh  with  you,  as  I  will  let 
you  go,  and  your  little  ones :  look  to  it ;  for  evil  is 

11  before  you.  Not  so:  go  now  ye  that  are  men,  and 
serve  Yahweh  ;  for  that  is  what  ye  desire.  And  they 
were  driven  out  from  Pharaoh's  presence. 

12  (E)  ^\nd  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thine 
hand  over  the  land  of  Egypt  for  the  locusts,  that  they  may 
come  up  upon  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  eat  every  ^"herb  of  the 

13  land,  even  all  that  the  hail  hath  left.  And  Moses  stretched 
(J)  forth  his  rod  over  the  land  of  Egypt,  "and  Yahweh 
brought  an  east  wind  upon  the  land  all  that  day,  and 
all  the  night ;  and  when  it  was  morning,  the  east 

14  (E)  wind  brought  the  locusts.  And  the  locusts  went  up 
(J)  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  rested  in  ^-allthe  bor- 
ders of  Egypt ;  ^^very  grievous  were  they ;  before 
them  there  were  no  such   locusts  as  they,  neither 

15  after  them  shall  be  such.  For  they  covered  the  face 
of  the  whole  earth,  "so  that  the  land  was  darkened; 
(E)  ^^and  they  did  eat  every  herb  of  the  land,  and  allf  [.  .  .] 
(J)  the  fruit  of  the  trees  which  the  hail  had  left  '"^and 
there  remained  not  any  green  thing,  either  tree  or 
'herb  of  the  field,  through  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

"3  :  18  ;  5  :  3  ;  8  :  25-28.  "9  :  22{.  vs.  2if.  "Cf.  15a  ;  ct.  15b  ;  o  :  22,  25.  "14  :  21  ;  Nu. 
II  :  31.     '-8:2;  vs.  4.     '^9  :  3,  18,     24  ;  vs.  6.     '^Cf.  vs.  21-23.     ""Vs.  12.     "Vs. 19  ;  14  :  28. 

*  Read  "  the  elders  "  or  use  singulars  in  vv.  8,  lof. 

t  Although  not  strictly  necessary  to  the  sense  it  is  probable,  from  the  close 
resemblance  in  botli  J  and  E  of  the  fulfillment  of  the  jilagiie  to  the  prediction, 
that  J's  story  contained  the  substance  of  vs.  15b  (cf.  vs.  5  and  vs.  12).  The 
clause  in  E  and  J  must  have  been  nearly  identical. 


XI.  I.  THE  FINAL  PLAGUES.  55 

Then  Pharaoh  called  for  Moses  and  Aaron  in  haste  ;  and  i6 
he  said,  I  have  sinned  against  Yahweh  yonr  Ood,  and 
against  you.    Now  therefore  forgive,  I  pray  thee,  my  17 
sin  only  this  once,  and  ^'intreat  Yahweh  your  God, 
that  he  may  take  away  from  me  this  death  only.    And  18 
he  went  out  from  Pharaoh,  and  intreated  Yahweh. 
"And    Yahweh    turned    an    exceeding  strong    west  19 
wind,  which  took  up  the  locusts,  and  drove  them  into 
the  Red  Sea;  there  remained  not  one  locust  in  all  the 
(E)  border  of  Egypt.     But  Yahweh  I'^hardened   Pharaoh's  20 
heart,  and  he  did  not  let  the  children  of  Israel  go. 

^^And   Yahweh  said   unto   Moses,  Stretch    out  thine  hand  21 
toward  heaven,  that  there  may  be  darkness  over  the  land  of 
Egypt,    even    darkness    which    may    be    felt.       And    Moses  22 
stretched  forth   his  hand  toward    heaven  ;  and  there  was  a 
thick  darkness  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt  three  days  ;  they  saw  2t, 
not  one  another,  neither  rose  any  from   his  place  for  three 
days  :  but  all  the  children  of  Israel  had  light  ^-in  their  dwell- 
(J)  ings.     21  And  Pharaoh  called  unto  Moses,  and  said,  24 
Go  ye,  serve  Y  ahweli ;  only  let  your  flocks  and  your 
herds  be  stayed  :  let  your  little  ones  also  go  with  you. 
And  Moses  said.  Thou  must  also  give  into  our  hand  25 
sacrifices  and  burnt  oft'erings,  that  we  may  sacrifice 
unto  YahAveh  our  God.    Our  cattle  also  shall  go  with  26 
us ;    there  shall  not  an  hoof  be    left  behind ;    for 
thereof  must  we  take  to  serve  Yahweh  our  God ;  and 
we  know  not  with  what  we  must  serve  YahAveh,  until 
(E)  we  come  thither.     ^But  Yahweh  hardened  Pharaoh's  27 
(J)  heart,  and  he  would  not  let  them  go.     And  Pharaoh  28 
said  unto  him.  Get  thee  from  me,  take  heed  to  thy- 
self, see  my  face  no  more  ;  for  ^in  the  day  thou  seest 
my  face  thou  shalt  die.    And  Moses  said,  Thou  hast  29 
spoken  well;  ^*I  will  see  thy  face  again  no  more. 

(E)     ^And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Yet  one  plague  more  11 


i'8  :  8f,  ;  28 

;9:27etc.     '85:35. 

vs.  27.     '"g:: 

22f. 

;  vs. 

I2f  ;  cf.  VS. 

15a. 

20Cf.    3 

:  22 

;  ct. 

:  22  ;  9  :  26. 

213:  18:5:3:8:- 

,^28.      "9:35 

;  vs. 

20. 

"Gen.  2  :  i 

7. 

2K't.  II  : 

1-3. 

4ff. 

3  :  19-22  ;  12 

:35f. 

56  EXODUS.  XI.  2. 

will  I  bring  upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon  Egypt ;  afterwards  he 
will   let    you  go  hence  :  when    he  shall  let  you  go,  he  shall 

2  surely  thrust  you  out  hence  altogether.  Speak  now  in  the 
ears  of  the  people,  and  let  them  ask  every  man  of  his  neigh- 
bour, and  every  woman   of  her  neighbour,  jewels  of  silver, 

3  and  jewels  of  gold.  And  Vahweh  gave  the  people  favour  in 
the  sight  of  the  Egyptians.  Moreover  ^the  man  Moses  was 
very  great  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  in  the  sight  of  Pharaoh's 
servants,  and  in  the  sight  of  the  people.  [.   .  .J 

4  (J)    ^Aiid  Moses  said,  Tlius  saith  Yaliweh,  About 

5  mi(lii!?:lit  will  I  i:;o  out  into  the  midst  of  Egypt :  and 
all  the  lirstboru  in  the  land  of  Egypt  shall  die,  from 
the  firstborn  of  Pharaoh  that  sitteth  upon  his  throne, 
even  unto  the  firstborn  of  the  maidservant  that  is 

6  behind  the  mill ;  and  aii  the  firstborn  of  cattle.*  ^Aud  there 
shall  be  a  great  cry  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt, 
such  as  there  hath  been  none  like  it,  nor  shall  be  like 

7  it  any  more.  But  against  any  of  the  children  of  Israel 
shall  not  a  dog  move  his  tongue,  against  man  or 
beast:  that  ye  may  know  how  that  Yahweh  doth  put 

8  a  difference  between  the  Egyptians  and  Israel. f  And 
all  these  thy  servants  shall  come  down  unto  me,  and 
bow  down  themselves  unto  me,  saying,  Get  thee  out, 
and  all  the  people  that  fVdlow  thee:  and  after  that  I 
will  go  out.  And  he  went  out  from  Pharaoh  in  "hot 
anger. 

9  (R)     And  Yiilr.y'rii  Siiid unto  Moses,  'Pkarao/i  will  not  liearkfii  unto  yon  : 
2.Vu.  12  ;  3.     "i--  :  2  if.     ''1:   iS.  24  ;  10  ;  6  etc.     ^J'ls   1^:21.     6,0:28.    ';:?o:4:.'[. 

*•  Supplementary  redaction;  cf,  xiii.  15  and  xiii.  r2,  where  Rd  bases  the  law 
of  sacrifice  of  the  firstborn  lin/sl  on  the  fact  that  "  \'ah\veh  slew  all  the  first- 
born of  Egypt,  both  of  man  and  /h'list."  I>nt  ■  according  to  the  original  writer 
(ix.  6;  cf.  ix.  25a,  K)  "all  the  cattle  of  Egyi)t  "  had  lieen  previously  slain  bv 
the  murrain.  In  his  (J's)  conception  the  firstl)orn  of  cattle  are  a  substitute  for 
"the  firstborn  of  man  among  thv  sons  "  (xiii.  (3)  which  were  spared,  wlieii 
the  firstborn  sous  of  EgyjJt  were  slain.  The  above  applies  of  course  ec[ually 
to  xii.     29I.. 

t  Vs.  7I]  is  of  the  same  character  as  vii.  17  ;  viii.  10,  22  ;  ix.  14-16,  29b;  x.  2. 
See  note  on  vii.  17. 


XI.  THE  NIGHT  OF  DELIVERANCE.  57 

that  my  ^oomtcrs  may  be  multiplied  in  the  land  of  Ei^ypt.     And  Moses  and    lO 
Aaron  did  all  these  wonders  before   Pharaoh:    and  Yahweh    hardened  Pha- 
raoh's heart,  and  lie  did  not  let  the  children  of  Israel  go  out  of  his  land* 


3  Chh.  xii.  i — xiii.  i6.     The  Night  of   Deliverance.     Institu- 
tion OF  THE  Feasts  of  Passover  and  Unleavened 
Bread.     Consecra  tion  of  the  Firstborn. 

ANALYSIS. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  month  Yahweh  ordains  the  beginning  of  the 
(ecclesiastical)  year,  and  gives  directions  for  celebration  of  the  Passover 
on  the  14th,  instituting  the  feast  as  a  memorial  of  the  deliverance  he  is 
about  to  effect  by  smiting  the  firstborn  of  Egypt;  xii.  1-13.  In  addi- 
tion he  directs  the  observance  of  a  further  feast  of  Unleavened  Bread, 
from  the  14th,  at  evening,  to  the  21st  at  evening  ;  xii.  14-20.  Moses 
summons  the  elders,  and  gives  directions  for  the  sacrifice  of  the  passover 
lamb,  and  the  observance  of  the  feast  in  memory  of  deliverance  from 
"  the  Destroyer."  The  people  obey;  xii.  21-28.  At  midnight  Yahweh 
destroys  the  firstborn  of  Egypt.  Pharaoh  and  the  Egyptians  in  terror 
dismiss  Israel  in  haste,  and  the  latter  enrich  themselves  with  the 
spoil  of  their  oppressors  ;  xii.  29-36.  The  people  with  cattle  and  a 
mixed  multitude  journey  from  Ramses  to  Succoth,  baking  unleavened 
cakes  of  their  dough,  which  had  not  had  time  to  be  leavened.  The 
deliverance  takes  place  exactly  430  years,  to  a  day,  after  the  beginning 
of  the  sojourn  in  Egypt  ;  xii.  37-42.  Yahweh  ordains  through  Moses 
and  Aaron  the  law  for  observance  of  the  Passover;  xii.  43-51.  He 
further  enacts  through  Moses  the  sanctification  of  the  firstborn  to  himself ; 
xiii.  if.  Moses  ordains  the  feast  of  Unleavened  Bread  with  its  proper 
ritual ;  xiii.  3-10,  and  the  law  of  the  first-born  ;  xiii.  1 1-16. 

In  chh.  xiif.  we  meet  the  same  remarkable  phenomena  of  duplication, 
inconsistency,  and  contrast  in  style,  representation  and  mode  of  concep- 
tion, as  in  the  preceding.  In  xii.  31  Pharaoh  summons  Moses  and 
Aaron  before  him  and  addresses  them,  in  spite  of  x.  29  ;  xi.  8,  where 
Moses  has  declared  that  instead  of  this.  Pharaoh  and  his  servants  shall 
come  A; /«■/«,  humbly  entreating  him  to  go.  In  vs.  34  the  people  are 
preparing  to  make  their  bread  with  leaven,  in  spite  of  the  strict  injunc- 
tion of  vv.  iSff. ;  and    in  vs.  39  it  is  explicitly  related  that  the  reason  for 

*The  colophon  to  the  plague  narratives,  xi.  qf.,  which  repeats  the  substance 
of  vii.  3f.,  may  be  from  ?■,  hut  is  at  least  supeifluous,  and  is  generally  regarded 
as  a  supitlementarv  interpolation  bv  R\). 


58  EXODUS. 

the  making  of  unleavened  cakes,  instead  of  employing  the  leaven  as 
usual,  was  simply  because  they  had  no  time,  being  interrupted  in  the 
midst  of  ordinary  household  duties  by  the  unexpected  appearance  of 
Pharaoh's  messengers,  who  so  urgently  insist  upon  their  going  in  haste. 
We  are  not  only  at  a  loss  to  understand  how  they  can  be  thinking  of 
using  leaven  after  xii.  i5ff.,  but  still  more  to  understand  how  they  can  be 
taken  by  surprise,  w  hen  not  only  have  they  been  instructed  to  supply 
themselves  with  gold,  silver  and  raiment  in  readiness  for  flight,  xi.  1-3 
(E),  but  have  been  engaged  since  the  tenth  day  of  the  month  in  prepar- 
ing for  nothing  else  ;  xii.  1-12.  Note  especially  vs.  11.  True,  we  might 
attempt  to  account  for  the  unreadiness  by  supposing  the  summons  to  go 
forth  to  have  come  between  "  midnight "  (vs.  29)  and  morning,  instead 
of  after  daybreak,  as  they  certainly  had  a  right  to  expect  from  vv.  10,  17, 
and  22.  But  turning  to  Num.  xxxiii.  3f.  we  find  it  explicitly  stated  that 
"  they  journeyed  from  Rameses  in  the  first  month,  on  \.\\&  fiftcLmth  day 
of  the  first  month  ;  oti  the  morroiu  after  the  passover  the  children  of 
Israel  went  out  with  an  high  hand  in  the  sight  of  all  the  Egyptians, 
while  the  Egyptians  ivere  burying  all  their  fir stborti."  At  least  one 
Pentateuch  writer  therefore  sees  nothing  unexpected  about  the  going  out„ 
and   does  not  believe  that  they  were  driven  out  at  midnight  unprepared. 

In  the  present  connection  the  jewels  and  raiment  which  the  Israelites 
obtain  from  the  Egyptians,  vv.  35f.,  seem  to  be  extorted  by  fear ;  but  this 
does  not  agree  with  the  representation  of  the  passage-  itself,  with  its 
kindred  passages  in  iii.  2  if.  and  xi.  1-3,  wherein  the  credit  of  Moses, 
and  a  special  inclining  of  the  Egyptians'  hearts  by  Yahweh  is  the  means 
by  which  the  jewels  are  obtained.  In  conformity  to  this  idea  it  is  not 
the  men,  who  demand  the  gold  and  raiment  as  the  equivalent  of 
unrequited  labor  ;  but  the  women,  who  "ask  "  it  of  their  jvomen  friends 
and  neighbors.  But  this  again  is  inconsistent  with  Israel's  dwelling 
apart  in  the  land  of  Goshen  (viii.  22  ;  ix.  26)  ;  and  if  the  "  asking  "  be  at- 
tributed to  the  night  of  the  passover,  when  Israel  had  the  power  to 
extort,  it  is  inconsistent  with  the  representation  that  each  Israelite 
family  is  then  confined  to  its  own  abode,  forbidden  to  stir  outside  the 
door,  while  the  Egyptian  families,  just  stricken  by  "the  Destroyer,"  are 
certainly  not  in  a  mood  of  special  "  favor  "  toward  Israel. 

But  in  chh.  xii.  f.  the  duplications  are  perhaps  more  striking  than  the 
incompatibilities.  By  the  present  arrangement  of  the  material  the 
ordinance  of  the  pas.sover  in  vv.  21  27  is  brought  in  after  its  parallel,  vv. 
1-13,  as  Moses'  reiteration  to  the  people  of  what  Yahweh  had  spoken  to 
him  and  Aaron.  But  in  that  case  Moses  ought  at  least  to  tell  what  he 
was  told,  and  not  something  (luile    different.     Vet    he    leaves  out  three- 


THE  NIGHT  OF  DELIVERANCE.  59 

fourths  of  what  is  directed  in  xii.  iff.,  and  quite  alters  the  form  of  the 
very  simple  direction  he  gives,  vv.  2 if.,  though  usually  where  such 
repetition  occurs  in  legal  passages  the  divine  direction  is  repeated  verba- 
tim. He  ought  certainly  to  state  that  this  is  ordained  by  Yahweh  ;  but 
he  speaks  in  his  own  name,  and  ignores  Aaron,  who  ought  to  be  his 
associate  (cf.  xii.  i),  if  not  his  spokesman.  In  short  it  is  impossible  to 
call  vv.  21-27  a  sequel  tow.  1-13.  They  are  a  parallel  passover  law 
strikingly  simpler  and  more  primitive,  and  the  linguistic  and  stylistic 
marks  are  as  peculiarly  "  prophetic  "  in  vv.  21-27,  ^s  they  are  "  priestly  " 
in  vv.  1-13,  28.* 

The  same  relation  is  easily  seen  to  subsist  between  the  two  passages 
relating  the  institution  of  the  feast  of  Unleavened  Bread.  Here  xiii.  3- 
10  is  obviously  the  law  of  J,  based  upon  the  story  of  xii.  33ff.  37-39,  and 
characterized  by  the  expressions  peculiar  to  this  author  (cf.  xiii.  5  with 
iii.  8,  17  and  see  references).  Instead  of  the  day  of  the  month  being 
specified  as  in  xii.  14-20,  and  the  month  numbered,  we  have,  "  This  day 
ye  go  forth  in  the  month  Abzb  "  (cf.  xxxiv.  18  J,).  As  in  xii.  2iff.  where 
Moses  omits  all  the  directions  in  regard  to  the  lamb  and  the  manner  of 
eating  it  prescribed  in  xii.  iff.,  introducing,  apparently  on  his  own  re- 
sponsibility, a  different  ritual  for  the  sprinkling  of  the  blood  (cf.  xii.  22 
with  vs.  7),  so  here  he  omits  all  about  the  holy  convocations  with  ab- 
stinence from  labor,  which  he  was  directed  to  prescribe  (xii.  16),  and 
prescribes  a  ritual  of  his  own.  The  same  relation  obtains  again  between 
the  ordinance  of  Yahweh  to  Moses  as  to  consecration  of  the  firstborn, 
xiii.  if.,  and  the  same  ordinance  as  given  by  Moses  to  the  people  in  vv. 
11-16.  Here,  in  fact,  Moses  permits  himself  to  make  large  concessions 
from  the  strict  demand  of  vv.  if.  of  "the  firstborn  of  man  a7itl  beast." 
All  the  firstborn  of  man  are  to  be  redeemed  by  substitution,  and  for 
the  valuable  ass  a  kid  may  be  substituted.  On  any  theory  save  that  of 
composite  origin  we  must  ask  ourselves,  Whence  has  Moses  permission 
to  say  to  his  lord's  creditors,  "  Take  thy  bill  and  sit  down  quickly,  and 
write  four-score,  or  write  fifty  ?  "  and  why  is  the  law  asgh'en  to  the  peo- 
ple in  these  three  cases  of  one  character,  and  as  given  to  Moses  (or  to 
Moses  and  Aaron)  of  a  totally  different  character,  both  as  to  matter  and 
form  } 

*The  stylistic  peculiarities  of  P^  in  eh.  xii  are  entirely  loo  numerous  for 
even  bare  enumeration  in  the  present  work.  A  list  of  the  more  important  will 
be  found  in  the  article  :  Die  Gesetzgebutif:  dm-  >iiHtlereii  Biicher,  by  K.  Buckle, 
Z.  A.  ^F.,  xi.  2  (1891)  p.  196,  together  with  an  admirable  comparison  of  the 
parallels. 


60  EXODUS.  XII.  I. 

To  the  difficulties  presented  by  the  legislative  material  it  is  even  less 
easy  to  tind  a  solution  without  the  analysis,  than  to  those  of  the  narrative 
portion.  But  the  same  key  which  unlocks  all  the  mysteries  of  the  one. 
solves  all  the  problems  of  the  other.  The  J  narrative  material  which  will 
not  agree  with  either  narrative  material  of  E,  nor  the  narrative  or  legisla- 
tive of  P,  agrees  perfectly  with  the  legislative  material  of  J  (Ct.  xii.  34, 
39  with  w.  I5ff.  and  cf.  xiii.  3ff.;  ct.  xiii.  3ff  with  xii.  I5ff.;  but  cf.  iii.  8, 
17  with  xiii.  5)  and  vice  versa.  The  priestly  legislative  material  agrees 
with  its  own  narrative  (cf.  xii.  8ff.  with  Num.  xxxiii.  3f.)  ;  whereas  it  will 
agree  with  neither  narrative  nor  legislation  of  J  (ct.  xii.  21-27,  33f.,  37-39 
etc.)  nor  narrative  of  E  (xii.  31a,  35f).  For  the  details  of  the  process  by 
which  each  clause  of  chh.  xiif.  is  identified  as  from  J,  E  or  P,  the  reader 
is  referred  to  Art.  II.  and  the  references.  The  analysis  will  be  found 
easy  and  the  inconsistencies  of  the  text  will  disappear  if  it  is  borne  in 
mind  that  in  E  the  Hebrews  have  warning  of  their  going  forth,  but  not 
the  Egyptians,  who  are  not  supposed  to  know  of  Moses'  demand,  or  at 
least  not  of  the  impending  result :  that  in  P  both  Hebrews  and  Egyp- 
tians are  prepared ;  "  for  the  children  of  Israel  went  out  with  an  high 
hand  "  (xiv.  8,  P)  ;  but  in  J  alone  the  people  have  no  forewarning  that 
the  result  of  the  long  negotiations  is  suddenly  achieved.  The  result  in 
J  fulfills  of  course  the  prediction  of  Moses  in  xi.  4-8  (cf.  xii.  29f.;  ct.  31a) ; 
the  result  in  E,  the  anticipations  of  iii.  2 if.;  xi.  1-3  (cf.  xii.  35!.;  ct.  vv. 
32-34,  38f.),  and  that  in  P  the  promise  of  Yahweh  in  xii.  12,  17  (cf.  xiv. 
8  ;   Num.  x.xxiii.  3f.). 


12       (P)     And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aai-on  in  the  land  of 

2  -E.Kypfy  ^^y^'',^j  ^This  month   shall  be  unto  you  the   beoinning   of 

3  months:  it  shall  be  the  first  nwnth  of  the  year  to  you.  -Speak  ye 
unto  all  the  congregation  of  Israel,  saying,  Ju  the  tenth  [^A/J']  of 
this  month  they  shall  take  to  them  eve^-y  man  a  lamb,  according  to 

4  their  fathers'  houses,  a  lamb  for  an  household :  and  if  the  house- 
hold be  too  little  for  a  lamb,  then  shall  he  and  his  neighbour  next 
unto  his  house  take  one  according  to  the  number  of  the  souls ;  accord- 
ing to  every  man's  eating  ye   shall  make  your  count  for  the  lamb. 

5  Your  lamb  shall  be  '^without  blemish,  a  male  of  the  first  year:  ye 

6  shall  take  it  from  the  sheep,  or  from  the  goafs  :  and  ye  shall  keep 
it  up  until  the  fourteenth  day  (f  the  same  month  :  and  the'^whole  as- 

'Ct.  23  :  1^1 ;  34:  22.     'Cf.  vv.  21  27.     ^Lcv.  J  ;  I,  10  etc.;  ct.  Gen.  7:  2f.     ■'16  :  i ;  17  ;  letc. 


XII.  1 8.  THE  NIGHT  OF  DELIVERANCE.  '     61 

setnbly  of  the  cofi,!^regation  of  Israel  shall  kill  it  at  even.    ^And  they     7 
shall  take  of  the  blood,  and  put  it  on  the  two  side  posts  and  on  the 
lintel,  upon  the  houses  laherei/i   they  shall  eat  it.     And  they  shall    8 
eat  the  flesh  in  that  nii^ht,  roast  juith  fire,  and  unleavened  bread ; 
with  bitter  herbs  thex  shall  eat  it.     Eat  not  of  it  ra7C',  /lor  sodden    9 
at  all  -with  ivater,  but  roast  ivith  fire;  its   head  with  its  legs  and 
with  the  inwards  thereof.     ^  And  ye  shall  let  nothing  of  it  reniaiji  10 
until  the  morning;  but  that  whieh  remaineth  of  it  until  the  morn- 
ing ye  shall  burn  with  fire.      And  thus  shall  ye  eat  it;  7uith  your  1 1 
loins  girded,  your  shoes  on  vour  feet,  and  your  staff  in  your  hand : 
and  ye  shall  eat  it  in  haste  :  it  is  Yalrweli  s  passover.     For  I  will  i  2 
go  through  the  land  of  Egypt  in  that  night,  and  ivill  smite  'all  the 
firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  both  man  and  beast;  and  ^against 
all  the  gods  of  Egypt  I  will  exeeute  judgments  :  ^/  am  Yahweh. 
And  the  blood  shall  be  to  you  for  a  token  upon  the  houses  luhere  ye  13 
are  :  and  when  I  see  the  blood,  I  will  "^^pass  over  you,  and  there 
shall  no  plague  be  ipon  you  to  destroy  you,"^  when  I  smite  the  land 
of  Egypt.     '^'^  And  this  day  shall  be  unto  you  for  a    memorial,  and  \^ 
ye  shall  keep  it  a  feast  to  Yahweh  :  throughout  your  generations  ye 
shall  keep  it  a  feast  by  an  ordinanee  for  ever.     ^'- Seven  days  shall  1 5 
ye   eat  unleavened  bread;  even   the  first  day  ye   shall  put  atvay 
leaven  out  of  your  houses  :  for  whosoever   eateth    leavened  bread 
from  the  first  day  until  the  seventh  day,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off 
from  Israel.     And  in  the  first  day  there  shall  be   to  you  an  ^'^holy  16 
convocation,  and  in  the  seventh  day  an  holy  convocation  ;  no  manner 
of  work  shall  be  done  in   them,  save  that  which    every  man  must 
eat,  that  only  may  be  done  of  you.     And  ye  shall  observe  the  [feast  17 
of]  unleavened  bread;  for  in  this  selfsame  day  have  I  brought 
your  hosts  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt :  therefore  shall  ye  observe  this 
day  throughout  your  generations  by  an  ordinance  for  ever.     In  the  18 
first  \montli\  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month  at  eveji,  ye  shall 
eat  unleave?ied  bread,  until  the  one  and  twentieth  day  of  the  month 


5Cf.  VS.  22.    8Cf.  23  : 

18;  34:25.    '13  :  if.     »Nu. 

33:4- 

96  :  S  ;  Lev. 

5.  23.     "Vv.  24-273. 

i^Cf.  13  :  3-10.     '3Lev.  23: 

:  3-37  ; 

ct.  13  :6. 

*Etymologies  in  P  are  rather  suggested  than  propounded  :  ct.  vs.  27,  and  c£. 
Gen.  xvii.  5,  17;  Num.  xx.  13.  Personifications  like  that  of  vs.  23  he  prefers 
to  tone  down,  as  here  (vs.  6.)  ;   cf.  Gen.  vi.  iff.  with  gff. 


62  EXODUS.  XII.  19- 

iQ  at  even.  Seven  days  shall  there  be  no  leaven  found  in  your  houses : 
for  whosoever  catcth  that  ivhich  is  leavened  that  '^soul  shall  be  cut 
off  from  the  congregation  of  Israel,  whether  he  be  a  sojourner,  or 

20  one  that  is  born  in  the  land.  Ye  shall  eat  nothing  leavened;  in  all 
your  habitations  shall  yc  eat  unleavened  bread. 

21  (J)  Tlieu  Moses  called  for  all  the  elders  of  Israel, 
and  said  unto  them,  Draw  out,  and  take  you  lambs 

22  according  to  your  families,  and   Kill    the  passover.      Aud    ye   Sliall 

take  a  hunch  of  hyssop,  and  dip  it  in  the  blood  that  is 
in  the  basin,  and  strike  the  lintel  and  the  two  side 
posts  with  the  blood  that  is  in  the  basin  ;  and  none  of 

you  shall  go  out  of  the  door  of  his  house  i^until  the  morning. 

23  For  Yaliweh  will  pass  through  to  smite  the  Egyp- 
tians ;  and  when  he  seeth  the  blood  upon  the  lintel, 
and  on  the  two  side  posts,  Yaliweh  will  pass  over  the 
door,  and  will  not  suffer  ^''the  destroyer  to  come  in 

24  (Rd)  unto  your  houses  to  smite  you.*    I'And  ye  shall  observe 

25  this  thing  for  an  ordinance  to  thee  and  to  thy  sons  for  ever.  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  when  ye  be  come  to  the    land  which    Yahweh    will  give  you, 

26  according  as  he  hath  promised,  that  ye  shall  keep  this  service.  And  it 
shall  come  to  pass,  when  your  ciiildren  shall  say  unto    you.  What  mean  ye 

27  by  this  service  ^  that  ye  shall  say.  It  is  the  sacrifice  of  Vahweh's  passover, 

'^3"  :  33.  38.  Gen.  17  :  14.    '^Ct.  vv.  jiff.    '«Ct.  vv.  13.    "13  :  3,  8-10,  14-16 ;  Dt.  6 :  2of.  etc. 

*  The  legislative  portions  of  J  wherever  met  seem  to  be  drastically  worked 
over  and  interpolated.  It  is  principally  due  to  this  redactional  modification 
that  in  Art.  II.  this  section  was  erroneously  attributed  to  Rje  on  a  basis  of  E. 
It  is  easier  to  suppose  that  influenced  by  his  strong  archaeological  interest  J 
accounted  for  the  ritual  custom  of  sprinkling  the  doorpost  with  the  blood  of 
"the  sacrifice  of  the  passover"  instead  of  the  Tilinr  or  macff/xi/i  as  in  sacrifices 
at  the  sanctuary,  thus  making  it  serve  the  purpose  of  "  the  difference  (distinc- 
tive mark)  which  Yahweh  put  between  the  Egyptians  and  Israel"  (xi.  7),  although 
usually  no  mark  is  required  on  account  of  the  isolation  of  Goshen  (viii.  22;  i.x. 
26),  than  to  suppose  that  E,  who  elsewhere  ignores  ritual  interests,  is  the 
author  of  even  the  basis  of  this  bit  of  ritual  archaeology.  Dr.  Budde  very 
clearly  points  out  how  the  priestly  section  is  here  throughout  dependent  on  the 
"  prophetic,"  cf.  <■.  ,4^,  vs.  13  with  vs.  23. — The  Deutcronomic  style  of  vv.  24-273 
is  striking,  and  characteristic  of  the  didactic  interpolator.  The  first  clause  of 
vs.  27  may  have  been  adopted  from  the  original.  See  the  article  in  Z.  A.  IV, 
above  referred  to  (Analysis,  p.  59). 


XII.  38.  THE  NIGHT  OF  DELIVERANCE.  63 

who  passed  over   the  houses  of   the  children  of   Israel  in   Egypt,  when    he 
smote  the  Egyptians,  and  delivered  our  houses.     i^Alld    tlie    people 

(P)  l)o>ve(l  the  head  and  worshipped.     [  .  .  .  ]  And  the  28 

child rc7i  of  Israel  went  and  did  so  ;  as  Yahwch   had  conunanded 
Moses  and  Aaron,  so  did  they. 

(J)  ^^And  it  came  to  pass  at  midnight,  that  Yahweh  29 
smote  all  the  firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  from  the 
firstborn  of  Pharaoh  that  sat  on  his  throne  nnto  the 
firstborn  of  the  captive  that  was  in  the  dnngeon;  and 

all  the  firstborn  of  cattle.— ^^ And   Pliaraoli    rose  up    in  the  30 
night,  he,  and  all  his  servants,  and  all  the  Egyptians; 
— and  there  was  a  ^'great  cry  in  Egypt  3  for  there  was 
(E)  not  a  lionse  where  there  was  not  one  dead.*    ^^And  31 
he  called  for  Moses   and  Aaron  by  night,  and    said,  Rise  up, 
get  you  forth  from  among  my  people,  both  ye  and  the.chil- 
(J)  drcn  of  Israel  [  .  .  .  J'^and  go,  serve  Yahweh  as  ye 
have  said.    Take  both  yonr  flocks  and  your  herds,  as  32 
ye  have  said,  and  be  gone  ;  and  bless  me  also.    And  zi 
the  Egyptians  were  urgent  upon  the  people,  to  send 
them  out  of  the  land  in  haste  ;  for  they  said.  We  be 
all  dead  men.    And  the  people  took  their  dough  before  34 
it  was  leavened,  their  "^kneading-troughs  being  bound 
(E)  up  in  their  clothes  upon  their  shoulders.  ^sAnd  the  35 
children  of  Israel  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses  ;  and 
they  asked  of  the  Egyptians  jewels    of  silver,  and  jewels  of 
gold,  and  raiment  :  and  Yahweh    gave  the  people  favour  in  36 
the  sight  of  the  Egyptians,  so  that  they  let  them  have  what 
they  asked.     And  they  spoiled  the  Egyptians. 

(J)  And  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed  from  -'^Ram-  37 
eses  to  Succoth,  about  ^^six  hundred  thousand  on  foot 
that  were  men,  beside  children.    ^And  a  mixed  multi-  3"^ 
tude  went  up  also  with  them  ;  and  flocks,  and  herds, 

'«4:3i.  i'»ii:4ff.  2"ii:8.  2iii:6.  "Ct.  io:28f.  23-,  .  ,8:  5  13  ;  8:  25ff.;  10  :24ff.  eit. 
2*8:3.     "3  :  2i{.;  II  :  1-3.     2«i:ii.     ^'i  :  9,  20;  Nu.  ii  :  21.    ^m^u.  ii  :  4. 

*  Transpose  in  order  30a  and  3obc.  By  the  insertion  of  vs.  31  (E)  in  place 
of  the  real  sequel  to  30a  (xi.  5,  6,  8,  J)  Rje  found  himself  compelled  to  change 
the  relation  of  30a  from  consequent  of  3obc  and  antecedent  of  "  and  came  and 
bowed  down  "  (cf.  xi.  8)  into  an  antecedent  of  3obc. 


64  EXODUS.  XII.  39. 

39  even  very  much  cattle.  And  tliey  baked  unleavened 
cakes  of  the  dough  which  they  brought  forth  out  of 
Egypt,  for  it  was  not  leavened  ;  because  they  w  ere 
thrust  out  of  Egypt,  and  could  not  tarry,  neither  had 

40  (P)  they  prepared  for  themselves  any  victual.    -^AW' 

the  sojoiirnin^^    of  the    ehildreii    of  Israel^  lohieh  they  sojourned 

41  in  Egypt.,  was  four  hundred  and  thirty  years.  And  it  came 
to  pass  at  the  end  of  four  hundred  and  thirty  years,  eveti  ^the 
selfsauu'  day    it  came   to  pass,  that   all  the  hosts  of   Yahweh  went 

42  (J)  out  froi/i  the  land  of  Egypt.  *— It  is  a  night  to  be 
much  observed  unto  Yahweh  for  bringing  thom 
(Rd)  out    from    the  land  of  Egypt :  this  is  that  night  of 

Yahweh  to  be  much  observed  of  all  the  children  of  Israel  throughout  their 
generations.! — 

43  (P)     ^^And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses  and  Aaron,  This  is  the 
^At  ordinance  of  the  passover :  there  shall  no  alien  eat  thereof:  but 

every  mans  ^'^  servant  that  is  bought  for  money,  when  thou  hast  cir- 

45  cumcised  him,  then  shall  he  eat  thereof.     A  '^sojourner  and  an 

46  hired  servant  shall  not  eat  thereof.  In  one  house  shall  it  be  eaten; 
thou  shall  not  carry  forth  aught  of  the  flesh  abroad  out  of  the 

47  house;  neither  shall  ye  break  a  bone  thereof  .     All  the  congregation 

48  of  Israel  shall  keep  it.  And  when  a  stranger  shall  sojourn  with 
thee,  and  will  keep  the  passover  to  Yahiveh,  '^let  all  his  males  be 
circumcised,  and  then  let  him  come  near  and  keep  it ;  and  he 
shall  be  as  one  that  is  horn  in  the  land :  but  no  uncircumcised per- 

49  S071  shall  eat  thereof.     Ofie  la7v  shall  be  to  him  that  is  homeborn, 

50  ^a7ul  unto  the  stranger  that  sojourneth  among  you.      Thus  did  all 

s^C*.  Gen.  15  :  14,  16.  ^oyy  j^  .  j,.  ,g  .  igtj.  siGcn.  17  :  12,  27.  ^'■'Gen.  17  :  12,  13,  23, 
ayetc.    *'Gen.  23:  4etc.    ^■'Gen.  17  :   loetc.    ^^V's.  28,  Gen.  6  :  22etc. 

*  Vv.  40,  41  have  been  removed  from  after  xiii.  2  to  combine  with  the 
"prophetic"  story  of  the  flight,  or  perhaps,  better,  xiii.  if.  from  before  vv.  4of. 
P's  much  less  vivid  narrative,  the  .substance  of  which  can  be  gathered  from  vs. 
12  and  from  Nu.  xxxiii.  4f,  represented  the  Exodus  as  taking  place  "on  the 
morrow  after  the  passover," /.  f.  the  morning  of  the  15th,  ct.  vv.  31-34.  This 
account  has  been  of  necessity  omitted  by  Rp.  It  probably  stood  between  xii. 
50  and  xiii.  i,  giving  occasion  to  the  enactment  xiii.  if. 

1  Vs.  42b  seems  to  be  due  to  the  redactor  (Rd)  who  takes  such  an  interest 
in  po.sterity  ;  it  is  introduced  as  a  supplement  to  42a.  So  Budde ;  cf.  Reuss, 
Ln  Bilile,  in  toe.     Vs.  42a  stood  periiaijs  originally  after  vs.  27. 


XI 11.  13-  THE  XIGHT  OF  DELIVERANCE.  65 

the  children  of  Israel ;  as  Yahiveh  commanded  Moses  and  Aaron., 
so  did  they.     And  it  came  to  pass  '^''the  selfsame  day,  that  Yahweh  5  i 
did  bring  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  by  their 
hosts.  [.   .   .] 

^And  Yahweh  spake  unto    Moses,  saying,  Sanctify  unto   iiw  all  13 
the  firstborn,  whatsoever  openeth  the  womb  among  the  children  of 
Israel,  both  of  man  and  of  l>east :  it  is  mine. 

(J)  (Rd)    And  Moses  said  unto  the  people.  Remember  this  3 

day,  in  which  ye  came  '-'out  from  h^gypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage  ;  for  '^by 
strength  of  hand  Yahweh  brought  you  out  from  this  place:  there  shall  no 
(J)  leavened  bread  be  eaten.      ^TlllS    day    ye    gO    foi'tll    In  the      4 

month  Abib.     ^And  it  shall  be  when  Yahweh  shall    5 

(Rd)  bring  thee  into  the  land  of  the  Canaanite,  and  the  Hittite, 
and    the    Amorite,    and     the     Hivite,     and      the     Jebusite,    whlch    he 

sware  unto  thy  fathers  to  give  thee,  a  land  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey,  that  thou  shalt  keep  this  service  in 
this  month.  "^Seven  days  thou  shalt  eat  unleavened  6 
bread,  and  in  the  seventh  day  shall  be  a  feast  to  Yah- 
weh. Unleavened  bread  shall  be  eaten  throughout  the  7 
seven  days  ;  and  there  sliall  no  leavened  bread  be  seen 
with  thee,  neither  shall  there  be  leaven  seen  with 

(Rd)  thee,  'in  all  thy  borders.     ^And  thou    shalt  tell  thy  son  in     8 
that  day,  saying,  It  Is  because  of  that  which  Yahweh  did  for  me  when  I  came 
forth  out  of  Egypt.     And  it  shall  be  for  a  sign  unto  thee  upon  thine  hand,      g 
and  for  a  memorial  between  thine  eyes,  that  the  law  of  Yahweh  may  be  in 
thy  mouth  :  for  with  a  strong  hand  hath  Yahweh  brought  thee  out  of  Egypt. 
Thou  shalt  therefore  i<eep  tiiis  ordinance  in  its  season  from  year  to  year.         lo 

(J)    And  it  shall  be  when  Yahweh  shall  bring  thee  n 
into  the  land  of  the  Canaanite,  as  he  ''sware  unto  thee 
and  to  thy  fathers,  and  shall  give  it  thee,  that  thou  12 
shalt  set  apart  unto  Yahweh  ^°all  that  openeth  the 
womb,  and  every  firstling  which  thou  liast  that  com- 
eth  of  a  beast  ;  the  mates  shall  be  Yahweh 's.    "And  every  1 3 
firstling  of  an  ass  thou  shalt  redeem  with  a  lamb  ;  and 
if  tliou  wilt  not  redeem  it,  then  thou  shalt  break  its 

^''Vv.  17,  41  ;  16  :  I  ;  19  :  I.  '28  :  41  ;etc.  cf.  vv.  nff.  ^Vs.  14  ;  20  :  2  ;  Dt.  5  :  6  ;  6  :  12  ;  8: 
14  ;  13 :  5,  10  etc.  'Vv.  9, 16 ;  3  :  igf  ;  6  :  i  etc.  ♦34  :  18.  ^3  ;  s  ;  33  :  2  etc.  «Cf.  12  :  isf. 
'8  :  2  ;  10  :  4,  14.  810  :  2  :  12  :24  ;  Vs.  16  ;  Dt.  6  :  4-9  ;  n  :  18-21  etc.  »Gen.  15  :  18.  '"22  : 
29!'.  :  34  :  19 cf.  vv.  if.  "34:  2o. 


66  EXODUS.  XIII.  14. 

neck:  and  all  the  firstborn  of  man  anions  thy  sons 

14  (Rd)  Shalt  thon  redeem.     i-^And  it   shall  be  when  thy  son  asketh 

thee  in  time  to  come,  saying,  What  is  this?  that  thou  shalt  say  unto  him, 
i3By  strength  of  hand  Yahweh  brought  us  out  from  Egypt,  from  the  house 

15  of  bondage  :  and  it  came  to  pass,  when  Pharaoh  would  i*hardly  let  us  go, 
that  Yahweh  slew  all  the  firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  both  the  firstborn 
of  man,  and  the  firstborn  of  beast :  thtrefore  I  sacrifice  to  Yahweh  all  that 
openeth  the  womb,  being  males  ;  but  all  the  firstborn  of  my  sons  I  redeem. 

16  ^^And  it  shall  be  for  a  sign  upon  thine  hand,  and  for  frontlets  between  thine 
eyes :  for  by  strength  of  hand  Yahweh  brought  us  forth  out  of  Egypt. 


§  III.     Exodus  xiii.   17-xix.    25.     The    Exodus  :    From    Egypt 
TO  Sinai. 

Prolegomena. 

According  to  the  priestly  writer  Israel  went  forth  on  the 
morning  of  the  fifteenth  of  the  first  month,  in  the  sight  of  the 
Egyptians  engaged  in  the  burial  of  their  dead,  and  "  with  an 
high  hand"  (Num.  xxxiii.  ^i.  ;  .\iv.  8).  Taking  their  departure 
from  Succoth  they  reach  Etham  "  in  the  edge  of  the  wilder- 
ness "  ;  xiii.  20.  But  Yahweh  is  not  satisfied  with  so  easy  a 
victory,  purposing  to  make  a  signal  exhibition  of  his  power 
upon  Pharaoh  and  the  Egyptians  (cf.  xiv.  4).  Moses  and  the 
people  are  therefore  bidden  to  retrace  their  steps.  Returning 
again  from  the  wilderness  they  place  themselves  in  an  apparent 
cul-de-sac,  south  of  the  isthmus,  where  the  road  to  the  east  is 
cut  off  by  the  Gulf  of  Suez.  Pharaoh's  heart  is  hardened  by 
Yahweh,  and  he  pursues  after  and  overtakes  his  aggravating 
foes  "  encamped  beside  Pihahiroth,  before  Baal-zephon."  .\t 
Yahweh's  command  Moses  stretches  out  his  hand  over  the  sea, 
which  divides,  and  Israel  passes  over  on  dry  land.  Pharaoh's 
army,  divinely  emboldened,  follow  after.  Moses  is  again  di- 
rected to  stretch  out  his  hand  and  the  watery  walls  collapse, 
engulfing  the  Egyptians  ;  xiv.  if. 3  (?),  4-,  '"^f-,  i5<-  "^  P-'^''^  ;  17^-, 
2ia,  c,  2  2f.,  26,  27a,  2<Sa,  29.  One  month  thereafter  Israel 
comes  to  the  wilderness  of  Sin  ;  xvi.  i.  At  this  i)()iiit  is  brought 
in  the  story  of  Israel's  murmuring  for  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt. 

i^Dt.  6  :  2off.     isVs.  4  etc.     '<o  :   t;  ;  lo  :  2...  .!7.     "^■Dt.  r,  :  8f.  ;  ii  :  i3. 


THE  EXODUS:  EROM  EGYPT  TO  SINAI.  67 

Moses  and  Aaron  summon  the  congregation  before  the  taber- 
nacle {sic),  whereupon  "  the  glory  of  Yahweh  "  appears  in  the 
cloud  (sic\  and  Yahweh  rebukes  the  people,  but  promises  flesh 
and  bread.  In  the  evening  quails  cover  the  camp  ;  with  the 
morning  dew  appears  a  white  edible  flake,  to  which  Israel  gives 
the  name  of  "  Manna."  This  becomes  their  food  until  they 
come  to  Canaan.  Aaron  is  bidden  to  lay  up  a  pot  thereof  before 
the  "  Testimony  "  {sic)  to  be  kept  ;  ch.  xvi.,  for  the  most  part. 
After  a  station  at  Rephidim  (xvii.  la)  "  the  whole  congregation  " 
comes  to  Sinai  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  third  month  ;   xix.  2a,  i. 

According  to  E  Israel  went  forth  in  battle  array,  laden  only 
with  the  spoil  of  Egypt,  gold  and  jewels,  and  the  bones  of 
Joseph  (with  xiii.  19  cf.  Gen.  1.  2^i.).  God  {Elohim)  led  them, 
but  not  by  the  nearest  road,  on  account  of  the  hostility  of  the 
Philistines  ;  a  detour  is  made,  which  brings  them  to  the  Red 
Sea  ;  xiii.  17-19  (cf.  Jos.  xxiv.  6).  Here  Pharaoh,  pursuing 
"with  chariots  and  horsemen"  (Jos.  xxiv.  6),  overtakes  them. 
Israel  cries  out  to  Yahweh,  who  puts  darkness  between  them 
and  the  Egyptians,  the  angel  of  God  removing  from  before  and 
*'  going  "  behind  the  camp  of  Israel  ;  xiv.  3  (?),  7  in  part,  lob, 
ipf.  in  part  (cf.  Jos.  xxiv.  7).  Moses  stretches  out  his  rod  over 
the  sea  [which  opens  a  passage  for  Israel,  (cf.  Is.  x.  24,  26  ;  Ixiii. 
12)]  while  Yahweh  brings  the  waters  upon  Pharaoh's  pursuing 
host  and  covers  them  ;  xiv.  i6a,  24c,  25a  (?),  31a  (?)  ;  (Jos.  xxiv. 
7).  This  victory  is  celebrated  by  Miriam  and  the  women  in 
responsive  song  and  dance  ;  xv.  2of.  Plereafter  Israel  comes  to 
[Massah]  where  they  are  put  to  the  "  test  "  {massah)  by  Yah- 
weh by  a  "statute  and  ordinance"  preliminary  to  the  covenant 
at  Horeb.  This  test  consists  in  the  giving  of  the  food  called 
"  manna,"  of  which  each  is  to  take  but  a  single  day's  supply. 
Some  endeavor  to  lay  up  for  the  morrow,  and  excite  Moses' 
wrath;  xv.  25b;  xvi.  4,  15,  i6a,  2of.,  35.  Here  (?)  the  people 
suffer  thirst,  and  rebel  against  Moses  ;  who  at  Yahweh's  com- 
mand goes  before  the  people  to  [Meribah]  and  smites  with  the 
rod  upon  "  the  rock  in  Horeb,"  whereupon  water  issues  forth 
for  the  people  ;  xvii.  3-6,  At  this  point  are  inserted  the  story 
of  the  battle  with    Amalek    at  Rephidim,  in   which  Moses,  by 


68  EXODUS. 

means  of  the  uplifted  rod,  obtains  victory  for  Israel,  and  the 
story  of  Jethro's  visit  to  Moses  at  the  mount  of  God  {sic)  lead- 
ing to  the  appointment  of  judges  to  assist  Moses  in  administer- 
ing justice,  and  in  making  the  people  know  the  statutes  of 
God  and  his  laws  {sic):  xvii.  8-16  ;  ch.  xviii.  Arrived  at  Horeb 
Moses  goes  up  to  God  and  receives  directions  in  preparation 
for  a  sublime  theophany  to  the  people^  and  a  divine  covenant  ; 
xix.  3-10,  14-17,  19- 

According  to  J  Israel  is  led  forth  from  Egypt  by  Yahweh  in 
a  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud.  But  when  Pharaoh  heard  of  their 
flight  he  changed  his  mind  and  pursued  after  them.  Israel, 
seeing  the  pursuers  and  despairing  of  escape,  murmurs  against 
Moses,  but  is  reassured  by  the  promise  of  divine  help  ;  xiii.  2  if.; 
xiv.  5-7  mainly,  loa,  11-14.  The  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud  re- 
moves from  before  the  camp  of  Israel  and  "stands"  behind 
them,  intercepting  the  pursuers  all  night.  Yahweh  causes  the 
sea  to  go  back  by  a  strong  east  wind  all  the  night,  exposing  the 
shoals,  over  which  Israel  make  their  escape.  In  the  morning 
watch  the  battle  ensues,  but  Yahweh  "  looks  forth  from  the 
pillar  of  fire  and  cloud,"  and  puts  the  Egyptians  to  rout.  They 
"  flee  against  "  the  returning  tide,  Yahweh  "  shaking  them  off  " 
in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  so  that  "  not  so  much  as  one  remained." 
The  sight  of  the  Egyptian  dead  upon  the  seashore,  and  the 
experience  of  Yahweh's  salvation  beget  faith  in  the  peoples' 
mind.  Moses  and  Israel  celebrate  the  triumph  in  song  ;  xiv. 
19b,  20b,  21  in  part,  24f.  in  part,  27f.  in  part,  jof.  in  part;  xv.  i. 
Moses  leads  Israel  out  into  the  wilderness,  Yahweh  direct- 
ing him  at  Marah  how  to  sweeten  the  bitter  waters  ;  xv.  22-253. 
They  encamp  at  Elim,  and  later  at  a  place  called  Massah, 
because  the  people  there  "tempted"  Yahweh;  xv.  27  ;  xvi. 
la  ;  xvii.  3,  2b,  7  in  part.  At  .SV/zd-/ Yahweh  reveals  himself  in 
fire,  directing  Moses,  with  the  priests  and  ciders,  to  cmiic  up  unto 
Yahweh,  after  precautions  against  intrusion  by  the  people  ;  xix. 
1 1-13,  18,  20-25. 

In  this  entire  section  the  superior  worth  of  J  over  E  as  a 
historical  source  is  peculiarly  apparent,  and  this  is  most  dis- 
tinctlv  recognizable  in  the   narratives  where  actual  historic  tra- 


THE  EXODUS:  FROM  EGYPT  TO  SINAI.  69 

dition  is  undeniably  present.  There  is  no  reasonable  doubt 
that  the  story  of  the  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea,  wherein,  as  Paul 
well  says,  the  nation  was  "  baptized  unto  Moses,"  was  the  folk- 
tale of  Israel  par  excellence,  related  from  time  immemorial  at 
every  Passover  feast.  It  was  the  national  independence-day, 
birthday  and  christening-day  in  one  ;  and  the  victory  then 
achieved  over  the  host  of  Pharaoh  was  one  which  baptized  the 
nation  unto  Yahweh,  the  God  in  whose  name  Moses  had  sum- 
moned them  to  the  liberty  of  the  desert  as  the  God  of  their 
fathers,  no  less  than  "  unto  Moses."  Its  opportuneness  and  its 
providential  character  both  alike  ensured  a  lasting  remembrance 
of  it  in  the  tradition  of  the  nation  then  born,  as  the  proof  that 
Yahweh  is  indeed  the  God  of  Israel,  and  Israel  is  his  people. 
Such  a  remembrance  is  certainly  preserved  in  the  essentially 
plain  and  trustworthy  account  of  J,  wherein  Moses  leads  Israel 
off  the  high-road,  to  the  south  of  the  fortified  isthmus,  to  where, 
under  favorable  conditions  and  the  guidance  of  one  familiar 
with  the  locality,  a  crossing  could  be  effected  over  the  shallows 
of  the  "  Sea  of  Reeds."  Had  not  the  providential  "wind  of 
Yahweh,"  however,  driven  back  the  sea,  the  effort  to  cross, 
with  Pharaoh's  troops  unexpectedly  attacking  the  rear,  would 
have  been  hopeless.  The  night-crossing,  under  the  gloomy 
thunder-clouds,  the  battle  in  the  morning  on  the  further  shore, 
when  the  breaking  forth  of  the  sun  revealed  the  Egyptians  en- 
tangled in  the  quicksands  and  drowned  by  the  returning  tide, 
are  not  the  work  of  imagination,  but  of  grateful  and  undying 
recollection,  refreshed  at  every  Passover  feast. 

All  the  greater  appears  the  contrast  in  the  parallel  accounts. 
The  rigid,  mechanical  wonder-working  of  P^  is  indeed  no  more 
than  we  have  learned  to  expect  from  this  writer  ;  but  in  E  we 
might  expect  something  of  the  actual  remembrance  to  survive. 
Critics  like  Dillman  and  Kittel,  who  maintain  the  origin  of 
E  to  be  earlier  than  of  J,  doubtless  hold  that  if  the  E  element 
•of  ch.  xiv.  could  be  extricated  we  should  find  it  to  contain  as 
much,  or  more,  of  the  historical  character  than  J.  Unfortu- 
nately this  belief,  if  it  exists,  is  here  ill-founded.  The  passage 
Is.  X.  26,  "  As   his   rod  was    over   the   sea,  so  shall  he  lift  it  up 


70  EXODUS. 

after  the  manner  of  Egypt,"  by  an  author  who,  on  any  theory, 
cannot  possibly  have  known  P'-,  does  not  refer  to  J  and  may  be 
seen  when  compared  with  vs.  24  to  refer,  beyond  all  reasonable 
doubt,  to  E.  This,  with  the  fragments  remaining  in  Ex.  xiv., 
and  Jos.  xxiv.  6f.,  is  amply  sufficient  to  prove  that  E's  account 
,was  much  nearer  to  P'-^'s  than  to  J's. 

The  second  great  feature  of  this  section,  wherein  the  elements 
of  actual  history  may  be  recognized,  is  the  Visit  to  Sinai. 
Here  beyond  doubt  we  must  recognize  as  most  nearly  related 
to  the  actual  facts  the  representation  which  describes  the  law 
as  received  by  Moses  in  solitary  communion  with  Yahweh  on 
Sinai,  and  engraved  by  his  human  hand  upon  stones,  rather 
than  that  which  describes  a  voice  resounding  from  the  mount 
in  trumpet  tones  announcing  to  all  the  people  the  moral  code 
in  articulated  words,  and  which  afterward  declares  that  God 
himself  on  Horeb  wrote  the  Words  with  his  finger  upon  the 
stone  tables  of  his  own  making. 

Nor  is  the  relation  essentially  different  in  the  narrative  of 
the  journey  in  the  wilderness.  In  E  Israel  depends  from  the 
outset  on  miraculous  provision  for  food  and  drink.  The  manna 
is  "  bread  rained  from  heaven,"  xvi.  4  ;  in  J  it  is  only  referred 
to  subsequently,  in  passing,  as  one  of  the  meagre  resources  of 
the  desert,  the  occasion  of  the  peoples'  complaint.  The  au- 
thor speaks  of  it  in  just  the  same  terms  a  modern  manna  gath- 
erer of  the  same  region  might  employ  of  the  manna  of  to-day, 
the  iitani/  ,-s  s/iri/ia  or  "  gift  of  heaven  "  of  the  Arabs.  In  E  water 
is  miraculously  supplied  by  '' the  rod  of  Clod."  In  J  the  peo- 
ple depend  \\\)on  the  wells  along  the  route. 

Let  it  not  be  considered  that  in  drawing  tiiis  contrast  in  /lis- 
/^r/Vfl!/ value  between  E  and  J  we  are  depreciating  the  former. 
On  the  contrary,  the  moral  and  religious  standard  of  E  is  as 
much  higher  than  j's  as  the  historical  accuracy  is  lower,  and 
for  the  same  reasons.  Still  less  let  it  be  imagined  that  critical 
estimates  of  this  kind  constitute  an  "  attack  "  upon  the  Bible. 
The  reverse  is  the  case.  If  the  historical  vahie  of  the  story  of 
the  Exodus  depends  upon  the  ^acceptation  of  the  monstrosities 
of   P,    Colenso   has  given    the    Pentateuch    its    death-blow.      If 


THE  CROSSING  OF  THE  RED  SEA.  71 

further  the  Bible  is  of  no  value  unless  a  particular  post-Refor- 
mation doctrine  of  inerrancy  can  make  shift  to  lump  all  parts 
together  as  equally  divine  and  equally  accurate  for  all  purposes, 
then  the  Bible  is  doomed.  But  the  separation  of  earlier  from 
later,  historical  from  unhistorical,  late  and  religiously  developed 
from  early  and  religiously  primitive,  will  preserve  all  elements, 
and  make  each  valuable  for  its  appropriate  function  and  teach- 
ing. The  present  attempt  to  extricate  the  primitive  account 
of  J,  if  successful,  will  go  far  to  vindicate  the  Tradition  of  the 
Exodus  as  in  its  most  essential  features  historical.  It  consti- 
tutes the  true  answer  to  Colenso's  formidable  indictment. 

I.  Chh.  xiii.  17-xv.  21.     The  Crossing  of  the  Red  Sea. 
ANAL  YSIS. 

God  leads  the  people  to  the  Red  Sea,  where  they  encamp.  Pharaoh 
pursues  and  overtakes  them.  Moses  encourages  the  people  ;  the  waters 
are  divided,  allowing  Israel  to  pass  through  dry  shod,  but  engulfing  the 
pursuing  Egyptians.     Israel's  song  of  triumph. 

In  this  subsection  the  marks  of  compilation  are  as  conspicuous  as  ever. 
We  need  not  dwell  upon  such  as  merely  repeat  inconsistencies  of  view 
of  the  different  sources  already  alluded  to,  such  as  the  improbability  of 
600,000  fighting  men  (xii.  37)  "armed  "  (xiii.  18)  and  defiant  in  the  face 
of  the  Egyptians  (xiv.  8)  recoiling  from  an  encounter  with  the  Philistines 
(xiii,  17),  in  abject  despair  before  a  detachment  of  Pharaoh's  army  (xiv. 
loff.),  and  put  to  their  utmost  by  the  petty  desert  clan  of  Amalek  (xvii, 
8ff,)  ;  or  such  as  the  orderly  preparation  and  mobilizadon  which  xiii.  i8f. 
presuppose,  in  contrast  with  xii.  37-39,  where  not  even  victual  could  be 
prepared  in  advance.  Apologetic  ingenuity  can  perhaps  discover  also  a 
reason  why  in  xiii.  17-19  the  story  of  the  divine  guidance  should  be  told 
with  the  use  (four  times)  of  Elohim  exclusively,  but  in  vv.  2if.  with  the 
name  Yahweh.  It  is  more  important  to  examine  at  once  ch.  xiv.  as  tradi- 
tionally received,  the  story  of  the  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea  to  which  sub- 
sequent allusion  is  made  in  portions  assigned  to  all  the  documents,  and 
which,  if  the  documentary  theory  is  correct,  should  therefore  probably 
exhibit  traces  of  all  three.     Is  ch.  xiv.  a  unit  .-■ 

In  vv.  15-22  we  meet  a  difficulty  analogous  to  tiiat  encountered  in  the 
story  of  the  plague  of  locusts.  If  Moses'  rod  extended  over  the  sea 
divides  it,  what    use  of  the    stron!>-   east   wind   blowiniJ-   all  night  ?     Did 


72  EXODUS. 

Moses  stretch  out  his  hand  with  the  rod  over  the  sea  on  the  evening 
before,  and  nothing  happen  for  several  hours  ?  Or  did  the  strong  east 
wind  drive  back  the  sea,  exposing  the  shallows,  and  afterward  Moses 
extend  his  rod  and  divide  what  remained  of  it  ?  What  sort  of  "wind" 
nad  the  writer  in  mind  who  describes  the  waters  as  cloven  in  twain,  so 
as  to  leave  a  "  wall  "  of  waters  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  pursuers  and 
pursued  ?  and  how  could  the  Egyptians  "  flee  against  it  "  after  "  the  sea 
returned  to  its  wonted  flow  "  ?  Again,  we  may  ask  the  question,  was  it 
the  writer's  understanding  that  the  crossing  took  place  by  daylight,  or  in 
the  night?  He  seems  to  vacillate  between  the  two.  The  dramatic 
gesture  of  Moses  dividing  the  sea  with  the  rod  of  God  certainly  seems  to 
presuppose  daylight,  both  for  the  beginning  and  end  of  the  crossing. 
But  according  to  vs.  24  when  the  morning  watch  appeared  Israel  is  safe 
on  the  further  shore,  and  the  Egyptians  have  already  engaged  in  conflict 
wnth  them,  and  are  embarrassed  in  the  shoals  and  quicksands  of  the  sea. 
Yet  the  former  part  of  vs.  20  again  seems  to  indicate  that  the  barrier 
between  the  Egyptians  and  Israel  was  dtxykiicss,  and  this  is  confirmed  by 
Jos.  xxiv.  7  (E).  "Ye  cried  out  unto  Yahweh,  and  he  put  darkness  be- 
tween you  and  the  Egyptians,  and  brought  the  sea  upon  them  and 
covered  them."  Then  the  event  must  have  taken  place  in  the  daytime  ; 
but  cf.  vs.  20b. 

In  eh.  xv.  there  are  no  such  decided  contrasts  in  point  of  view.  Hut 
neither  is  there  the  apparent  relation  between  vv.  2of.  and  the  preceding 
which  the  R.  \'.  would  establish.  In  vs.  21  we  should  translate  simply 
"And  Miriam  saui^  (responsively)  with  thenv"  (/.  c.  tlie  womtn  ;  \'ulg. 
qjiibiis  fircra'urhat)  as  in  the  exactly  analogous  passage  i  Sam.  xviii.  7 
(Hudde  J).  \'v.  2of.  then  appear  in  their  true  light  as  a  duplicate  of  vs. 
I.  Duplicates  in  xiii.  17-xiv.  31  art-  innnerous.  We  need  instance  only 
the  following  :  xiv.  5~7  =  vv.  8f.  ;   i9aTr  19b  :  27  =  28  ;  23,  28f.=:xv.  19. 

In  this  confusion  we  have  only  to  apply  the  principles  of  analysis 
already  found  so  successful,  and  the  three  independent  narratives  reap- 
pear, self  consistent  and  characteristic  as  usual,  though  in  the  case  of  I'", 
less  complete  ;  while  all  discrepancies  and  disson.mees  vanish. 

The  most  easiU  ideiititied  is  as  usual  I'-.  "The  iiassages  assigned  to 
P,"  says  Prof.  Driver  (/.//.  of  tJic  O.  '/'.,  \).  27),  "  will  he  fotuid  to  be  con- 
nected both  with  t'arh  other  .lud  with  other  i)arts  of  the  Pentateuch 
belonging  tf)  the  same  source  :  thus  '  harden  {//arai;)  the  heart,'  vs.  4, 
recurs  vv.  8,  17,  and  is  the  same  term  that  is  used  by  P  in  the  narrative 
of  the  plagues  ;  •  get  me  honor  '  //>.  recurs  vv.  17,  18  ;  Lev.  x.  3  ;  comp. 
also  vv.  4.  18  '  and  the  Egyptians  shall  know,'  etc.,  (cf.  vi.  7  :  vii.  5  :  xvi. 
12)  ;  vv.  9.  23,  '  and    the  I'.gyplians  imrsued  '  ;  vv.  22.   29.  '  the  dry  land  ' 


THE  CROSSING  OF  THE  RED  SEA.  73 

and  the  '  wall  ' ;  vv.  i6,  21.  '  divide  ' ;  the  repetitions  (in  the  manner  of 
P)  in  vv.  ijf.  as  compared  with  vs.  4,  in  28a  as  compared  with  23,  in  29 
as  compared  with  22." 

As  xiv.  1-4,  8f.  is  thus  unquestionably  from  P,  vs.  20  of  the  preceding- 
chapter  must  be  from  the  same  writer,  since  it  is  presupposed  by  vs.  2 
("  turn  back  ").*  The  motive  for  this  gratuitous  return  from  the  wilder- 
ness to  Egyptian  territory  seems  to  be,  as  usual  in  P,  purely  ad  major  em 
Dei gloriam  ;  cf.  xiv.  4.  8,  17  with  vii.  3-5  ;  xi.  9f.  It  also  appears  from 
the  above  that  the  representation  of  the  dividing  of  the  sea  by  the  stretch- 
ing out  of  Moses'  hand  is  P's,  in  contrast  with  the  associated,  but  really 
incompatible,  representation  of  a  driving  back  of  the  sea  by  an  easi  wind 
blowing  all  night  (cf.  x.  13,  19  and  Num.  xi.  3if.).  This  latter  representa- 
tion is  very  easily  recognizable  as  J's  from  the  references  just  given.  It 
forms  really  a  part  of  the  cycle  of  plague  narratives  of  this  document,  in 
which  tirst  the  announcement  is  made  of  what  Yahweh  will  do,  there- 
after Yahweh  himself  intervenes,  not  by  the  agency  of  Moses  nor  of  the 
rod,  but  by  natural'  means,  and  brings  about  the  result.  Here  the  an- 
nouncement is  made  in  vv.  loa,  11- 14,  where  vs.  12  refers  either  to  v.  21 
(J)  or  else  to  something  now  wanting,  and  the  style  and  language  are 
characteristic  of  this  document  (see  refs.),  and  the  story  of  Yahweh"s 
intervention  during  the  night  and  on  the  following  day  (cf.  x.  13b  ;  Num. 
xi.  31  f.)  ensues.  In  vs.  25b  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  in  vs.  14  is 
%\\^x\.  verbatim,  Sir\<\  vs.  30  is  similarly  connected  with  vs.  13.  It  thus 
appears  with  great  positiveness  that  the  narrative  in  which  the  crossing 
.  is  effected  during  the  ;z2>/// is  J's  ;  for  "  in  the  morning  watch,"  vs.  24, 
Yahweh  looks  forth  from  the  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud  upon  the  pursuing 
Egyptians.  The  mention  of  "the  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud  "  proves  that  it 
is  this  same  writer  whose  story  we  have  in  xiii.  21  f.  (cf.  also  "  Yahweh  " 
in  contrast  with  "  Elohini  "  in  the  parallel  vv.  17-19)  ;  and  it  is  a  further 
necessary  conclusion  that  xiv.  19b,  20b,  from  "  yet  gave  it  light  "  (/.  e. 
lightnings  ?),  where  the  "  pillar  of  cloud  "  becomes  a  barrier  ol  fire  "  all 
night,"  "  standing"  between  the  Eg3'ptians  and  Israel,  is  from  the  same 
account;  whereas  the  parallel  verses,  19a,  20a  (to  "  darkness"),  in  which 
"the  angel  of  God"  {E/o/iim),  is  the  guiding  manifestation  "which 
ivent  before  the  camp  of  Israel  "  are  necessarily  from  another  source, 
since  the  barrier  here  is  not  light  (or  li.s^htninos)  but  darkness.  Hence  it 
contemplates  a  passage  by  day.     The  further  extrication  of  the  J  source 

*This  verse  xiii.  20  is  in  a  J  context  (vv.  2if. )  and  seems  to  connect  with  xii. 
37  (J);  but  the  form  of  expression  in  xii.  37  in  the  Hebrew  is  different  from 
that  of  xiii.  20  and  nowhere  employed  by  P,  while  xiii.  20  belongs  to  a  regular 
series  of  this  writer  identical  in  form  (xvii.  i  ;  xix.  if.  etc.). 


74  EXODUS. 

after  the  establishment  of  this  peculiarity  is  a  matter  so  simple  as  to  be 
readily  left  to  the  reader  ;  but  further  details  of  evidence  for  the  analysis 
of  the  chapter  will  be  found  in  Art.  Itl. 

Turning  to  the  third  source  which  has  become  apparent  in  vv.  19a,  20a 
it  is  quite  obvious  that  we  have  here  no  mere  fragment  of  P,  although 
the  writer  seems  to  coincide  with  P's  representation  of  a  passage  by  day. 
On  the  contrary,  to  say  nothing  of  the  most  remarkable  characteristic, 
■■  the  angel  of  God  "  (cf.  Num.  xx.  16  ;  E),  these  clauses  are  inseparable 
from  xiii.  17-19,  a  passage  whose  derivation  from  E  is  established 
beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt  by  its  style  and  language,  but  particularly 
by  the  connection  with  Gen.  v.  25  and  Jos.  xxiv.  32  (E).  It  is  clear  then 
that  at  least  some  fragments  remain  of  that  story  of  how  "  they  came  to 
the  Red  Sea,  and  the  Egyptians  pursued  after  your  fathers  with  chariots 
and  horsemen  unto  the  Red  Sea  ;  and  when  they  cried  out  unto  Yahweh, 
he  put  darkness  between  you  and  the  Egyptians,  and  brought  the  sea  upon 
them  and  covered  them,"  which  E  himself  thus  subsequently  refers  to  m 
the  speech  of  Joshua,  Jos.  xxiv.  6f.  Vs.  lob,  first  of  all,  is  shown  by  this 
reference  to  be  from  the  E  narrative.  Next  vs.  i6a  is  certainly  from  E, 
for  no  other  document  knows  anything  of  such  a  use  of  JAwtw'  rod  ;  but 
more  particularly  this  is  proved  by  Is.  x.  26  c  His  rod  was  over  the 
sea  "),  and  even  E's  agreement  with  P  as  to  the  division  of  the  waters 
follows  from  the  reference  in  Is.  Ixiii.  iif.  which  is  older  than  P^,  and 
cannot  refer  to  J.  Finally,  there  is  some  reason  (see  Art.  III.)  for  attri- 
buting also  vs.  3  and  a  few  other  clauses,  including  vv.  25a  and  31,  to  the 
same  document. 

In  ch.  XV.  there  is  no  trace  of  P-,  a  document  entirely  devoid  of  p.oetic 
material.  Only  vs.  19  appears  to  be  constructed  on  the  basis  of  xiv.  23, 
28f.,  and  serves  as  a  colophon  to  the  psalm  .xv.  1-18,  whose  incorporation 
(in  its  present  form)  would  accordingly  be  brought  down  to  a  late  date. 
The  inappropriateness  of  the  poem  itself  to  the  circumstances,  at  least 
from  vs.  I  I  onwards  (cf.  vs.  i  i  "  praises,"  literally  "  psalms,"  \z  "  earth  " 
13,  the  temple,  17,  translating  verbs  in  the  i)ast),  is  adililional  reason  for 
thinking  that  the  jiocni  from  vs.  2  onward  is  an  independent  ini'orpora- 
tion.  This  view  Is  strongly  corroborated  by  the  fact  that  the  author  of 
Is.  xii.  a  postexilic  writer,  apparently  refers  to  this  song  among  others, 
speaking  of  it  as  if  it  /)(\s^a>i  :.'////  r-.s.  2.  and  not  with  the  preceding  lines, 
which  are  identical  with  vs.  21.  Had  the  poem  been  written,  as  assumed 
by  many  critics,  as  a  development  of  vs.  21  the  lines  of  this  verse  would 
not  have  been  repeated,  but  simply  vv.  2ff.  attached  to  it.  The  indepen- 
dence of  the  poem  2  iS  is  fiu-tlur  shown  by  the  striking  /;/appropriate- 
ness  of    its    latter  part    to    the  situation  ;  while    it    is  at    the    same    time 


XIV.  2.  THE  CROSSING  OF  THE  RED  SEA.  75 

impossible  to  account  for  its  incorporation  here  unless  vv.  4ff.  were  also 
included  in  it  to  give  it  some  color  of  appropriateness.  Finally,  as  we 
have  such  strong  reason  to  suppose  its  opening  lines  to  have  been  those 
of  vs.  2,  the  fact  of  its  attachment  here,  instead  of  after  vs.  21,  is  unac- 
countable, unless  vs.  I  is  an  original  fragment  of  J  parallel  to  vv.  2of.  (E). 
The  verbal  correspondence  is  not  unexampled,  but  recurs  in  the  "  Words 
of  the  Covenant,"  Ex.  xxiii.  I4-I9=xxxiv.  22-26,  and  parts  of  the  Song, 
of  Balaam,  Num.  xxiiff. 


(H)     And    it  came    to    pass,  when    Pharaoh  had    let  the  17 
people  go,  that  God  led    them  not  by  the  way  of  the  land  of 
the  Philistines,  although    that  was  near  ;  for  God  said,  Lest 
peradventure  the  people  repent  when  they  see  war,  and  they 
return  to  Egypt  :  but  Ciod  led  the  people   about,  by  the  way  18 
of  the  wilderness  by  the  Red  Sea  :  and  the  children  of  Israel 
went  up  armed  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.     '"And  Moses  took  19 
the  bones  of  Joseph  with  him  :  for  he  had  straitly  sworn  the 
children  of  Israel,  saying,  (lod  will  surely  visit  you  ;   and  ye 
shall  carry  up  my  bones  away  hence  with  you.* 

(P)  And  they  took  their  journey  from  ^'^Siiccoth,  and  encamped  20 
(J)  in  Efham,  in  the  edge   of  the  wilderness.     ^^Alltl  Yalnvell  21 

went  before  them  by  day  in  a  pillar  of  cloud,  to  lead 
them  the  way ;  and  by  night  in  a  pillar  of  Are,  to  give 
them  light  ;  that  they  might  go  by  day  and  by  night : 
tlie  pillar  of  cloud  by  day,  and  the  pillar  of  Are  by  22 
night,  departed  not  from  before  the  people. 

(P)    And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Speak  unto  the  2  14 
children  of  Israel,   that   they  turn  '^back  and  encamp    before  Pi- 
hahiroth,  between  Migdol   and  the  sea,  before  Baal-zeplwn  :  over 

I'^Gen.  50  :  24!.     '"12:57.     "*Xu.  i  j:  34  ;  14  :  14  ;  cf.  14  :  19.     '13:20. 

*The  use  of  Elohim  is  no  longer  obligatory  upon  E,  nor  does  he  commonly 
employ  it  in  his  own  composition  ;  rather  he  seems,  like  Rp  and  Rje,  to  favor 
personally  "  Yahweh."  He  seems,  however,  not  to  have  taken  the  trouble  to 
alter  the  name  Elohim  where  employed  in  his  source.  Hence  the  use  of  Elohim 
without  specific  reason  is  still  a  criterion  where  it  occurs.  For  similar  reten- 
tion of  a  source  peculiarity  cf.  I)t.  iv.  32  with  Gen.  i.  27,  and  see  Budde,  Bibl. 
Ur^cschicht,\  pp.  4S7ff.,  497. 


76  EXODUS.  XIV.  3. 

3  (E)  against  it  shall  ye  encamp  by  the  sea.  And  Pharaoh  win 
say*  of  the  children  of  Israel,  They  are  entangled  in  the  land, 

4  (P)  the  wilderness  hath  shut  them  in.  '^And  I  will  harden 
Pharaoh's  heart.,  and  he  shall  follow  after  them  ;  and  I  linll  get 
me  honor  upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon  all  his  host ;  and  the  Egyp- 
tians shall  kno7v  that  I  am  Yahweh.      And  they  did  so. 

5  (J)  And  it  was  told  the  king  of  Egypt  that  the 
people  were  ^fled  :  and  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  and  of  his 
servants  was  changed  towards  the  people,  and  they 
said,  *What  is  this  we  have  done,  that  Ave  have  let 

6  Israel  go  from  ^serving  us  ?    And  he  made  ready  his 

7  (E)  chariot,  and  took  his  people  with  him  :  and  he  took 
six  hundred  chosen  "chariots,  and  all  the  chariots  of  Egypt 

H    (P)  [  .  .  .  ]  and  captains  over  all    of  them.  [  .  .  .  ]     ~And 

Yahweh  hardened  the  heart   of  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  and  he 

pursued  after  the  ehild/-en   of  Israel :  for  the  children  of  Israel 

9  went  outSvith  an  high  hand.  And  the  F.gyptians  pursued  after 
them,  all  the  horses  [and]  chariots  of  Pharaoh,  and  his  horsemen, 
and  his  army,  and  overtook  them  ^encamping  by  the  sea,  beside  Pi- 

10  (J)  ha  hi  roth,     before     Baal-zephon.     And    when      Pilar  aoh 

>  drew  nigh,  the  children  of  Israel  lifted  up  their  eyes, 
and,  hehold,  the  Egyptians  marched  after  them  ;  and 
(E)  they  were  sore  afraid :  "and  ihe   children  of  Israel 

11  (J)  cried  out  unto   Yahweh.  [  .   .   .   ]      And  they  Said  UUtO 

Moses,  Because  there  were  no  graves  in  Egypt,  hast 
thou  taken  us  away  to  die  in  the  wilderness  \  ^^vhere- 
fore  hast  thou  dealt  thus  Avith  us,  to  bring  us  forth 

12  out  of  Egypt?  Is  not  this  the  Avord  that  Ave 'spake 
unto  thee  in  Egypt,  saying,  Let  us  alone,  that  Ave 
may  serve  the  Egy]»tians  I  For  it  Avere  better  for  us 
to  serve  the  Ei-yptians,  tliau  that  Ave  should  die  in  the 

13  wilderness.  And  Moses  said  unto  tlie  people,  Fear  ye 
not,  stand   still,  and  see  the  "salvation  of  YaliAveh, 

'^7  :  :!-5.  3,2:,,f.  4Gcn.  3  :  n  ;  4  :  lo.  ''i  :  1 1  ;  ch.  ^.  ''Jos.  24  :  6.  'V's.  4.  "Xu.  15  :  30  : 
33:5.  "Vs.  2.  '"Gen  12  :  n  ;  33  :  i.  5.  "Jos.  24  :  7.  '''5  :  22  ;  Xu.  11  :  11.  ''5:21.  'Kien. 
49:  18  ;  I  Sam.  14  :  45. 

*  If  vs.  3  is  assigned  to  E  (see  Art.  III.  /;/  loc.)  \ye  must  read  "  said." 


XIV.  22.  THE  CROSSING  OF  THE  RED  SEA.  77 

which  he  will  work  for  you  to-day  :  tor  the  Egyptians 
whom  ye  have  seen  to-day,  ye  shall  see  them  again  no 
more  forever.    ^^Yahweh  shall  fight  for  yon,  and  ye  m 
shall  hold  your  peace.* 

(P)  (E)  And    Yahwch    said  unto   Moses,  Wherefore    criest  15 
(P)  thou  unto  me  ?  speak  unto   the  ehildren  of  Israel,  that  they 
(E.)  go  forward.     ^^\nd   lift    thou    up   thy    rod,  [  .   .   .   J  and  16 
'i'' stretch  out  thine  hand  over  the  sea,  and  divide  it :  and  the  children 
of  Israel  shall  go  into  the  midst  of  the  sea  on  dry  ground.     ^^And  1 7 
/,  behold,  I  will  harden  the  hearts  of  the  Egyptians,  and  they  shall 
go  \in\  after  them  :  and  I  ivill get  me  honour  upon  Pharaoh,  and 
upon  all  his  host,  upon  his  chariots,  and  upon  his  horsemen.     And  18 
the  Egyptians  shall  know  that  I  am  Yahweh,  %vhen  I  have  gotten 
me  honour  upon  Pharaoh  upon  his   chariots,  and  upon  his  horse- 
(E)  nwn. — And    the    ^^angel  of   (xod,  which  went    before  the  19 
(J)  camp  of  Israel,  removed  and   went    behind    them  ;  and 

the  pillar  of  cloud  removed  from  before  them,  and 
(E)  stood  behind  them  :  and  it  came  between  the  camp  of  20 
Egypt  and  the  camp  of  Israel  ;  and  there  was  the  cloud  and 
(J)  the  -  darkness,!— yet  gave  it  light  by  night :  and  the 
(P)  one  came  not  near  the  other  all  the  night.    '-^And  21 

(J)  Moses  stretched  out  his  hand  over  the  sea  :  --^and  Yah  well 

caused  the  sea  to  go  [back]  by  a  strong  east  wind  all 
(P)  the  night,  and  made  the  sea  dry  land,  and  the  waters 

were  divided.     And  the  children  of  Israel  went  into  the    midst  of  22 
the  sea  upon  the  dry  ground :  '^and   the  7uaters  loere  a  n'all  unto 

"Vs.  25.  '''7  :  20;  9 :  22f.;  10  :  i2f.  2if  ;  17  :  5!'.  9  ;  Is.  10  :  26.  "Vv.  21,  iti.  '*Vs.  4.  '*i3: 
i7f  ;cf.  13:  2if.  and  vs.  19b.     »ojos.  24  :  7. '•'iVs.  i6.     ^Sjo  :  ,3,  19  ;  Nu.  11  rai.     23Cf.  15  :  8. 

*  The  motive  for  Israel's  return  from  the  wilderness  to  Egyptian  territory  in 
P  IS  more  theological  than  historical ;  but  in  E  a  reason  is  given  why  they  were 
brought  to  the  sea.  (cf.  xiii.  17  and  Jos.  xxiv.  6).  In  J,  however,  we  are  left  to 
infer  that  the  people  consent  to  leave  the  Isthmus  and  be  led  to  the  edge  of  the 
sea,  south  of  the  usual  road,  because  they  know  that  in  the  absence  of  opposi- 
tion the  gulf  is  fordable,  as  at  the  present  day. 

t  The  displacement  of  vv.  19a,  20a  is  inferred  from  Josh.  xxiv.  7,  where  the 
putting  of  darkness  between  Israel  and  Egypt  is  the  response  to  the  people's 
cry  to  Yahweh.  The  text  of  vs.  20b  is  probably  corrupt,  and  the  translation  is 
uncertain. 


78  EXODUS.  XI\-.  23. 

23  them  on  their  right  ha/uf,  and  on  their  h'ft.  And  the  Egyptians 
pursued.,  and  went  in  after  them  into  the  midst  of  the  sea,  all  Pha- 

24  (J)  raoh's  horses,  his  chariots,  and  his  horsemen.     And  it  caiUP 

to  pass  in  the  morning  watch,  that  Yaliweh  -^looked 
forth  npon  the  liost  of  tlie  Egyptians  throngh  tlie 
^pillar  of  fire  and  of  clond,  and  discomfited  the  host 

25  (E)  of  the  P]g.vptians.  And  he  took  off  their  chariot 
(J)  wheels,  that  they  drave  them  heavily  :  so  that  tlie 
Egyptians  said.  Let  ns  flee  from  the  face  of  Israel ; 
'"for  Yahweh  fighteth  for  them  against  the  Egyptians. 

26  (P)  '^'And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thine  hand 
over  the  sea,  that  the  tvaters  may  come  again  upon  the  Egyptians, 

27  upon  their  chariots,  and  upon  their  horsemen.  And  Moses 
(J)  stretched  forth  his  hand  over  the  sea,  and  the  sea  retnrned 

to  its  strength  when  the  morning  appeared  ;  and  the 
Egyptians  fled  against  it ;  and  Yahweh  overthrew  the 

28  (P)  Egyptians  in  the  midst  of  the  sea.    And  the  waters 

retur/u'd,  and  covered  the  chariots,  and  the  horsemen,  even  all  the 
(J)  host  of  Pharaoh  that  went  in  after  them  into  the  sea,  ^^tliere 

29  (P)  remained  not  so  much  as  one  of  them.    But  the 

children  of  Israel  walked  upon  dry  land  in  the  midst  of  the  sea ; 
and  the  waters    were  a  wall  unto  them   on  their  right   hand,  and 

30  (J)  on  their  left.  -'Thus  Yaliweh  savcd  Israel  that  day 
out  of  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians  ;  and  Israel  saw  the 

31  (E)  Egyptians  dead  upon  the  sea  shore.    And   Israel 

saw  the  *'great  work  which  Yahweh  did  upon  the  Egyptians, 
and  the  people  ^^feared  Yahweh  ;  and   they  believed   in  Yah- 
weh, and  in  ^-his  servant  Moses.* 
15      (J)    ^Then  sang  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel 
this  song  unto  Yahweh,  and  spake,  saying, 

"Gen.  18  :i6;  19  :28  ;  26:8.  "Vs.  Tg.  ""Vs.  14.  "Vv.  16,  21.  •■"'8  :  31  ;  10  :  15,  19, 
■""Vs.  13.  s»3  :  19  ;  6  :  i.  siGen.  20  :  u  ;  42  :  18  ;  Ex.  i.  17,  21  :  Jos.  24  :  14.  "Nu.  12  :  ^l. ; 
Dt.  34  :  5  :  Jos.  I  :  2.     'Cf.  vs.  2of.  ;  Nu.  21:17;  Jos.  10 :  12  ;  Jud.  5  :  i. 

*  The  separation  of  v.s.  31  from  the  context  is  tentative  rather  than  necessary. 
There  seems,  however,  to  he  .some  reduplication  of  thought  as  well  as  lan- 
guage ;  cf.  30b.  vvitli  31a,  and  note  the  repetition  of  tiic  .subject.  The  references 
indicate  the  linguistic  reasons. 


XV.  1 6  THE  CROSSING  OF  THE  RED  SEA.  79 

I  will  sing-  unto  Yaliweh,  for  he  hath  triumphed 

gloriously : 
The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  -thrown  into  the 

sea. 

(Ps)  ^Yahvveli  is  my  strength  and  song,  2 

And  he  is  become  my  ^salvation  : 

This  is  my  God,  and  I  will  praise  him  ; 

My  father's  God,  and  I  will  exalt  him. 

Yahweh  is  a  man  of  war  :  3 

Yahweh  is  his  name. 

Pharaoh's  chariots  and  his  host  hath  he  ^cast  into  the  sea :  4 

And  his  chosen  captains  are  sunk  in  the  Red  sea. 

The  deejjs  cover  them  :  5 

They  went  down  into  the  depths  like  a  stone. 

Thy  right  hand,  O  Yahweh,  is  glorious  in  power,  6 

Thy  right  hand,  O  Yahweh,  dasheth  in  pieces  the  enemy. 

And  in  the  greatness  of  thine  excellency  thou  overthrowest  them  that  rise     7 

up  against  thee  : 
Thou  sendest  forth  thy  wrath,  it  consumeth  them  as  stubble. 
^And  with  the  blast  of  thy  nostrils  the  waters  were  piled  up,  8 

'The  floods  stood  upright  as  an  heap  ; 
The  deeps  were  congealed  in  the  heart  of  the  sea. 

The  enemy  said,  9 

I  will  pursue,  I  will  overtake,  I  will  divide  the  spoil : 
My  lust  shall  be  satisfied  upon  them; 
I  will  draw  my  sword,  mv  hand  shall  destroy  them. 

^Thou  didst  blow  with  thy  wind,  the  sea  covered  them  :  lO 

They  sank  as  lead  in  the  mighty  waters. 

M'^ho  is  like  unto  thee,  O  Yahweh,  among  the  gods  i  1 1 

Who  is  like  thee,  glorious  in  holiness, 
Fearful  in  praises,  doing  wonders  ? 

Thou  stretchest  out  thy  right  hand,  12 

^The  earth  swallowed  them. 

Thou  in  thy  mercy  hast  led  the  people  which  thou  hast  redeemed :  13 

Thou  hast  guided  them  in  thy  strength  to  thy  holy  habitation. 
i'^The  peoples  have  heard,  they  tremble  :  14 

Pangs  have  taken  hold  on  the  inhabitants  of  Philistia. 

Then  were  the  i^dukes  of  Edom  amazed  ;  1 5 

The  mighty  men  of  Moab,  trembling  taketh  hold  upon  them : 
All  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan  are  melted  away. 
Terror  and  dread  falleth  upon  them  ;  1 6 

'Ct.  vs.  4.    3Is.  12  :  2.    ■'14  :  13.    ^Ct.  vs.  i.     *i4  :  21.     '14  :  22.    *i4  :  27.     'Nu.  16  :  32. 
■"Jos.  10  :  2.     "Gen.  36  :  21. 


80  EXODUS.  XV.  17. 

Hy  the  greatness  of  thine  arm  they  are  as  still  as  a  stone ; 
Till  thy  peojile  pass  over,  O  Yahvveh, 
Till  the  people  pass  over  which  thou  hast  ^-purchased. 
Thou   shall    bring   them  in,  and  plant   them  in    the  mountain  of  tiiine  in- 
ly heritance. 

The  place,  O  Yahvveh,  which  thou  hast  made  for  thee  to  dwell  in. 
The  sanctuary,  O  Yahvveh,  which  thy  hands  have  established. 

18  N'ahweh  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever. 

1 9  (  Rp)  ^'^For  the  horses  of  Pharaoh  went  in  -with  his  chariots  and  with  his 
horsemen  into  the  sea,  and  Yahweh  brought  again  the  waters  of  the  sea  upon 
them  ;  but  the  children  of  Israel  walked  on  dry  land  in  the  midst  of  the  sea* 

20  (E)  "And  Miriam  ^^the  prophetess,  the  lister  of  Aaron, 
took  a  timbrel    in  her   hand  ;   and  all  the   women  went   out 

21  after  her  with  timbrels  and  with  dances.  And  Miriam 
answered  them,f 

nSing  ye  to  Yahweh,  for  he  hath  triumphed  gloriously  ; 
The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  thrown  into  the  sea. 


2.   Chh.    XV.   22 — xvii.   7.     The    Divine    Supply   of  Food   and 
Water  in  the  Desert. 

AATALVS/S. 

Arrived  at  Marah  the  bitter  waters  are  sweetened  by  a  healing 
branch.  A  statute  and  ordinance  is  given.  At  Elim  the  people  find  a 
pleasant  oasis;  xv.  22-27.  I'l  the  wilderness  of  Sin  manna  and  quails 
are  provided  in  response  to  the  murmurs  of  the  people  ;  ch.  .\vi.  They 
come  to  Rephidim,  where  the  rod  of  Moses  brings  water  from  the  rock. 
The  place  is  called  Massah  and  Meribah  from  the  murmuring  and 
"  striving  "  of  the  people  ;  xvii.  1-7. 

The  present  subsection  affords  the  most  difficult  problems  hitherto  met 
in  the  analysis.  Indications  of  the  triplicity  of  sources  are  as  positive  as 
ever,  and  are  accompanied  by  equally  positive  evidence  of  displacement  of 
"Is.  II  :  II.     "14  :  -9.     Hi  Sam.  i8  :  6-8  :  Jud.  4  :  4.    '^Nu.  12  :  2.     o"^  :  4.     "vs.  i. 

*  Vs.  19  may  be  attributed  to  the  redactor  (probably  Rp)  who  incorporated 
the  psalm.  It  resembles  in  style  xiv.  29,  and  may  thus  indicate  the  date  of  in- 
corporation. 

t  /.  e.  sang  reSponsively  with  the  women.  LXX.  and  Vulg.  {quibiis  praecine- 
bat)  seem  to  have  had  here  the  feminine  pronoun,  to  which  R  has  given  the 
masculine  form  for  the  sake  of  connecting  with  vv.  iff. 


FOOD  AND    WA  TER  IN   THE  DESER  T.  81 

material  by  Rp.  But  here  the  reconstruction  of  the  sources  is  less  easy,  per- 
haps for  the  reason  that  so  much  displacement  has  occurred.  Thus  in 
1-7  we  appear  to  be  at  Rephidim.  and  such  appears  also  to  be  the  case  xvii. 
in  vs.  8.  But  meanwhile,  in  5f.,  Moses  and  the  people  have  '•  passed  on  " 
and  come  to  Horcb.  Here  we  indeed  find  them  encamped  in  xviii.  5  ; 
but  this  is  in  direct  contradiction  with  xix.  if.,  which  relates  \.\\€\x  sub- 
sequent arrival  there.  Moreover,  the  incident  of  xvii.  1-7,  which  by  vv.  i 
and  8  is  located  at  Rephidim  and  by  vv.  5f.  at  Horeb,  is  unequivocally 
stated  in  vs.  7  to  have  taken  place  at  Massah-Meribah.  We  naturally 
infer  that  at  least  Massah  and  Meribah  are  duplicate  names  for  the  same 
locality  ;  but  Dt.  vi.  16  ;  ix.  22  ;  xxxiii.  8  (?)  treat  them  as  two  different 
localities,  marked  by  different  events.  But,  most  remarkable  of  all,  in 
Num.  XX.  1-13  we  find  another  story  of  how  Israel  "  strove  with  Moses  " 
in  consequence  of  thirst  for  water,  how  Moses  thereupon  under  divine 
direction  "  smote  the  rock  with  his  rod,"  and  the  waters  gushed  out,  and 
so  this  place  also  was  called  "  Meribah  "  for  the  same  reason  as  that  of 
Ex.  xvii.  The  rabbinic  legend,  to  which  Paul  alludes  in  i  Cor.  x.  iff.,  of 
"a  spiritual  following  rock  that  followed  them,"  and  of  which  "they  all 
drank,"  may  be  accounted  for  as  an  attempt  to  explain  this  phenome- 
non of  a  smitten  rock  of  Meribah,  from  which  Israel  drank  at  the  begin- 
ing  of  the  desert  wandering  in  Ex.  xvii.,  followed  by  an  identical 
experience  with  the  same  rock  at  the  end  of  the  journey  (Num.  xx.  i  -13). 
But  while  the  literary  phenomenon  may  account  for  the  legend,  the  leg- 
end does  not  account  for  the  literary  phenomenon.  It  only  serves  to 
show  that  the  rabbis  were  not  blind  to  the  extraordinary  parallelism  of 
the  narratives.  As  to  the  duplicate,  xvii.  2=xvii.  3,  Wellhausen  re- 
marks :  (Comp.  p.  81)  :  "  It  is  in  spite  of  myself  that  I  recognize  traces 
of  a  double  source  in  xvii.  2-7.  For  it  were  much  to  be  desired  if  it  were 
possible  to  attribute  this  narrative  to  the  one,  and  Num.  xx.  2ff.  to  the 
other  source  of  the  Jehovist."  As  the  matter  stands  it  cannot  be  main- 
tained that  the  phenomena  call  for  no  explanation. 

Ch.  XV.  22-27  might  be  uniform  in  structure  were  it  not  for  vv.  25b, 
26,  where  a  beginning  is  made  of  relating  how  Moses  (?)  enacted  "  a 
statute  and  an  ordinance  "  and  put  Israel  to  the  test.  We  are  appar- 
ently on  the  verge  of  hearing  how  this  was  done ;  what  the  statute  and 
ordinance  was  ;  what  the  manner,  and  what  the  result  of  the  testing. 
But  vs.  26  leads  us  nowhere.  The  thread  of  narrative  taken  up  in  25b 
is  ravelled  out  into  a  cluster  of  didactic  generalities,  and  leaves  us  in 
doubt  even  as  to  the  subject  of  the  verbs  in  25b.  Is  it  Moses  }  or  is  it 
Yahweh  ? 

But  it  is  ch.  xvi.  which  furnishes  the  most  remarkable  anomalies.     In 


82  EXODUS. 

vv.  6-8  Moses  and  Aaron  deliver  to  the  people  a  message  from  Yahweh. 
Afterwards,  vv.  iif.,  Moses  receives  the  message  he  has  just  communi- 
cated, the  terms  being  identical.  Vv.  i3f.  relate  how  in  response  to  the 
murmuring  of  the  people  Yahweh  sent  manna  and  qjiails.  We  pass 
over  for  the  present  the  singularity  ol  the  fact  that  in  this  case  also,  as 
in  xvii.  1-7,  we  have  a  duplicate  of  the  story  in  Num.  xi.  There  again 
we  are  informed  of  how  Israel  murmured  for  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt  and 
complained  of  the  manna,  which  in  a  digression  is  minutely  described  as 
if  something  hitherto  unheard  of,  and  of  how  Yahweh  sent  quails,  which 
proved  a  curse  to  the  greedy  and  complaining  people.  Such  duplication 
we  have  found  to  be  rather  the  rule  than  the  exception  in  the  Pentateuch. 
But  we  are  led  to  expect  that  the  murmuring  of  the  people  here,  to 
which  the  manna  and  the  quails  are  the  divine  response,  will  be  visited 
with  punishment  of  some  kind.  But  no.  Vs.  1 3a  relates,  "  And  at  even 
//:t' quails  came  up  and  covered  the  camp."  That  is  absolutely  all  we 
hear  about  them.  No  one  pays  any  attention  to  them.  It  is  not  even 
stated  that  any  one  discovered  them,  much  less  used  them  for  food  ;  and, 
instead  of  punishment  for  the  murmurings,  we  hear  nothing  further  save 
a  description  of  the  wonderful  gift  of  manna  and  what  was  done  with  it. 
The  question  repeatedly  suggests  itself  in  the  latter  part  of  ch.  xvi. 
What  was  "  the  thing  which  Yahweh  commanded  "  }  According  to  vs. 
16  it  is  the  manner  in  which  the  bread  is  to  be  gathered.  According  to 
vv.  23ff.  it  is  the  Sabbath.  According  to  vs.  32  "  This  is  the  thing  which 
Yahweh  hath  commanded,  Let  an  omerful  of  it  be  kept,"  etc.  Vv.  lyf. 
attempt  apparently  an  explanation  of  the  two  conflicting  statements  of 
vs.  16,  a),  "  gather  each  according  to  his  eating  "  /.  e.,  various  amounts  ; 
3),  "an  omer  a  head,"  /.  e.,  eacht/ie  same  amount.  But  the  miraculous 
readjustment  of  quantity  does  not  remove  the  literary  disagreement.  Ac- 
cording to  vs.  21  the  consistency  of  the  manna  is  such  that  it  melts  like 
hoar  frost  (cf.  vs.  14)  with  the  warmth  of  the  sun.  According  to  vs.  23 
it  is  baked  and  boiled.  An  undeniable  anachronism  appears  in  vv.  9,  33 
where  the  expression  "  before  Yahweh  "  presupposes  the  place  of  Yah- 
weh's  presence  or  manifestation,  /.  e.,  the  sanctuary  of  the  Tabernacle. 
That  the  author  presupposes  the  giving  of  the  Tables  of  Stone  and  the 
erection  of  the  Tabernacle  and  its  furnishings,  which  in  our  Pentateuch 
are  not  related  until  chh.  xxxv.  ff.,  is  made  an  absolute  certainty  by  vs. 
34,  where,  pursuant  to  the  command  of  vs.  33,  Aaron  lays  up  a  pot  of 
manna.  "  de/ore  t/ie  Testimony."  Vs.  10  contains  besides  the  reference 
to  the  "  cloud  "  (anachronistic  in  P'^  before  Sinai)  a  similar  anachronism.* 

*  For  the   reading  t?iishkan  "  tabernacle  "  instead  of  midhar  "  wilderness  " 
see  note  /;/  loc.     "The  glory  of  Vahweli  apiicariiig  in  the   cloud"  is  a  charac- 


FOOD  AND   WATER  IN  THE  DESERT  83 

Finally,  vv.  22-30  certainly  convey  the  impression  that  the  people  have 
already  received  the  law  of  the  Sabbath. 

From  these  extraordinary  phenomena  three  things  are  at  once  appa- 
rent with  regard  to  ch.  xvi.  lO.  The  story  is  composite.  2".  One  of  the 
elements  is  P,  which  alone  contains  any  reference  to  "  the  Testimony." 
(See  refs.)  3°.  The  priestly  element  is  displaced,  and  belongs  after  the 
end  of  Exodus.  We  may  conjecture  with  a  very  high  degree  of  proba- 
bility what  the  original  position  of  P's  narrative  was,  by  comparing  its 
description  of  the  murmuring,  vs.  3,  of  the  manna,  vv.  14,  31,  and 
especially  the  unfinished  introduction  of  the  quails  in  conjunction  with 
the  manna,  vv.  11-13,  with  the  narrative  of  J  in  Num.  xi.  4-9,  13,  18-23, 
31-35  (cf.  especially  vs.  31  with  Ex.  x.  13,  19  ;  xiv.  21).  The  dependence 
is  here  unmistakable.  The  narrative  of  Numbers  certainly  did  not  derive 
its  story  of  the  quails  (the  manna  is  here  quite  incidental)  from  that  of 
Exodus  ;  but  that  of  Exodus  does  derive  its  account  from  Num.  xi ;  the 
writer  being  so  much  occupied  with  the  manna,  as  to  leave  the  quails 
(which  he  even  speaks  of  as  " i/ie  quails")  literally  suspended  in  mid-air. 
As  therefore  the  P  narrative  of  Ex.  xvi.  cannot  possibly  have  been  related 
originally  until  after  the  erection  of  the  Tabernacle  it  must  almost  cer- 
tainly have  come  from  the  same  connection  as  its  model.  Num.  xi. 

What  then  was  Rp's  motive  for  inserting  it  here  ?  Not  a  priori  con- 
siderations like  the  convenience  of  Israel's  being  supplied  with  food  from 
the  beginning  of  the  wilderness  journey,  or  not  these  alone ;  for  Rp 
allows  small  weight  to  such  ;  but  the  existence  at  this  point  of  another 
manna  story.  We  have  in  fact  seen  abundant  reason  for  believing  ch. 
xvi.  composite  ;  and,  since  the  manna-quail  story  of  Num.  xi.  is  certainly 
J's,  and  (Wellhausen  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding)  certainly  in  its 
original  position,  we  should  naturally  incline  to  E.  Kuenen,  Jiilicher 
and  others,  it  is  true,  would  attribute  the  dislocations,  incongruities,  etc. 
of  Ex  xvi.  purely  to  P^  or  Rp  on  a  basis  of  P"^.  But  if  the  narrative  was 
originally  a  uniform  production  of  P^,  whose  standpoint  is  doctrinally 
the  same  as  that  of  P'^  and  Rp,  why  should  the  latter  so  unmercifully 
mutilate  it?  The  arguments  of  Wellhausen  (C^/;z/.  pp.  323ff.)  for  a 
JE  element  here,  in  reply  to  Kuenen,  are  unanswerable.  But  there  is 
something  still  more  decisive  which  Wellhausen  has  not  observed.  Dt. 
viii.  2f.,  16  prove  beyond  a  doubt  that  JE  had  a  narrative  of  the  manna 
which  contained  the  etymology  Ex.  xvi.  15,  and  understood  the  intention 
of    the  divine    gift  to   have   been  "  to   prove    thee.  .  .  .  whether   thou 

teristic  expression  of  P,  e.  g..  Num.  xvi.  42  ;  xx.  6;  but  of  course  subsequently 
to  the  occupation  of  the  tabernacle  by  the  cloud,  Ex.  xl.  34ff.,  which  in  P, 
first  appears  on  Sinai. 


84  EXODUS. 

vvouldest  keep  his  commandment.s  or  no."  (Dt.  viii.  2  ;  see  also  vv.  3 
and  16,  and  cf.  with  these  Ex.  .xvi.  4,  "  that  I  may  prove  them,  whether 
they  will  walk  in  my  law  or  no  "  ;  and  xv.  25b,  "  There  he  made  for  them 
a  statute  and  an  ordinance,  and  there  he  proved  them"). 

We  have  now  found  at  last  the  true  sequel  to  the  isolated  verse  xv. 
25b.  Eliminate  the  foreign  element,  xv.  26f. ;  xvi.  1-3,  and  it  follows  in 
xvi.  4.  The  references  show  that  this  "  proving  of  Israel  "  (as  of  Abra- 
ham in  Gen.  xxii.)  is  a  characteristic  trait  in  E,  unknown  elsewhere ;  and 
the  strong  probability  is  that  the  place  indicated  by  "  there  "  in  xv.  25b. 
was  originally  J/assa/i,  "  the  place  of  proving."  The  location  had  of 
course  to  be  obliterated  when  the  parallel  account  of  J  (Massah  from 
Israel's  "  tempting,"  or  "  proving  "  Ya/nveh)  was  taken  up  in  ch.  xvii. 

It  follows  from  the  disconnection  of  xv.  25b  (E)  with  the  preceding, 
that  vv.  22-25a,  which  are  of  course  totally  foreign  to  the  style  and  pur- 
pose of  P^  are  from  the  other  JE  source,  J.  This  corresponds  in  tact 
with  the  style,  language  and  references  of  the  Marah  story,  where  Moses 
(not  Moses  and  Aaron,  P'^  and  not  Elohim,  E)  leads  Israel  on  into  the 
desert.  Here  also  "  the  three  days'  journey,"  so  often  spoken  of  to 
Pharaoh  is  accomplished,  the  zetiological  interest  is  displayed,  and  the 
wonders  of  Yahweh  are  accomplished,  not  by  the  rod,  but  by  natural 
means.  Vs.  27  also,  which  separates  vs.  25b  from  its  true  connection 
with  xvi.  4,  and  which  has  the  same  interests,  language  and  style  as  vv. 
22-253,  must  be  from  the  same  source,  J.  Vs.  26,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  merely  aims  to  patch  up  an  ending  for  the  truncated  vs.  25b,  and 
must  be  redactional  (Rd).  Vs.  i  of  ch.  xvi.  is  the  regular  formula  of  P-, 
unmistakably  genuine  and  in  place.  From  the  singular  recurrence  of 
"  the  Red  Sea  "  as  a  station  between  Elim  and  "  the  wilderness  of  Sin  " 
in  Num.  xxxiii.  lof.  we  may  perhaps  gather  that  P-  once  read  here,  "  And 
they  journeyed  from  the  Red  Sea,"  which  Rp  would  of  course  alter  to 
"  Elim,"  to  agree  with  the  preceding.  It  is  also  probable  that  Marah 
and  Elim  had  no  place  in  E,  for,  ceteris  paribus,  this  writer  would 
naturally  relate /r.?/  after  the  beginning  of  the  wilderness  journey,  how 
Israel  was  supplied  with  food  and  water  in  the'  desert  (see  below). 

Ch.  xvi.,  from  vs.  2  on,  has  been  hitherto  one  of  the  most  perplexing 
battle-grounds  of  criticism.  We  can  only  hope  to  reach  a  satisfactory 
analysis  by  holding  firmly  to  the  clew  afforded  by  the  reference  in  Deut. 
viii.  3,  16. 

From  Deuteronomy,  then,  which  knows  nothing  of  P,  we  learn  that  in 
JE  the  manna  was  given  to  "  prove  "  Israel  by  humbling  them  through 
hunger  to  a  daily  dependence  upon  a  food  which  their  fathers  "  knew 
not."     We  have  seen  that  the  reference  of  these  statements  is  unmistak- 


FOOD  AND    WATER  IN  THE  DESERT.  85 

ably  to  Ex.  xvi.  4  and  15,  which  accordingly  must  be  reckoned  to  JE  ; 
and,  since  vs.  4  is  connected  with  xv.  25b,  and  contains  a  play  upon  the 
name  Massah,  which  in  J  (xvii.  7)  is  cetiologized  quite  differently,  we 
may  be  certain  that  the  JE  basis  of  ch.  xvi.  is  E's  Massah  story.  But  it 
is  further  abundantly  apparent  in  Dt.  viii.  that  in  this  original  Massah- 
story,  the  '  testing  '  of  Israel  was  not  the  external  and  formal  one  of 
obedience  to  a  rule  laid  down,  but  a  testing  of  Israel's  disposition  in  view 
of  certain  commandments  which  are  afterwards  to  be  made  known. 
Yahweh  acted  for  the  purpose  of  "  knowing  what  was  in  their  heart,"  to 
know  whether  they  could  be  depended  on  to  receive  and  keep  a  divinely 
given  law  with  the  right  spirit  of  humility  and  trustful  obedience ;  and 
for  this  purpose  he  took  away  their  usual  supply  of  food  and  drink,  and 
suffered  them  to  hunger  and  thirst.  Then  he  gave  them  manna,  of 
which  neither  their  fathers  nor  they  had  ever  known,  and  "  brought  them 
forth  water  out  of  the  rock  of  flint  "  (viii.  15),  "  that  he  might  make  thee 
know  that  man  doth  not  live  by  bread  only,  but  by  everything  which 
Yahweh  ordains."  Of  course  the  moralising,  parenetic  spirit  of  D  is 
plainly  evident  here  ;  but  how  comes  he  to  say  that  this  is  the  lesson  and 
purpose  of  the  Massah  incident,  if  in  the  story  as  it  lay  before  him  a  law 
of  the  Sabbath,  or  a  sample  ordinance  explicitly  laid  down  in  regard  to 
quantity  of  manna  to  be  gathered,  was  the  test  ?  By  the  analogy  of  his 
treatment  of  JE  elsewhere  we  are  constrained  to  think  that  D  does  not 
misrepresent  his  source,  but  that  this  was  the  real  sense  of  the  original 
E  story  ;  and  that  the  external  tests  of  various  kinds,  Sabbath  law  (Rp), 
or  ordinance  in  regard  to  mode  of  gathering  (P'^),  are  the  attempts  of 
later  hands  unable  to  appreciate  the  "  prophetic  "  idea  of  a  moral  test 
of  disposition,  without  a  positive  commandment,  to  supply  what  they 
judged  to  be  an  omission.  We  must  also  acknowledge  the  accuracy  of 
D  in  bringing  together  the  story  of  the  supply  of  food,  and  of  water,  as 
belonging  in  the  same  connection,  and  both  preliminary  to  the  giving  of 
the  law  (viii.  i5f.).  The  E  elements  of  Ex.  xv.  25-xvii.  7  are  in  fact  not 
only  connected  by  their  subject  matter,  but  the  Massah  and  Meribah 
stories  belong  together  geographically,  and  are  certainly  in  place  where 
they  stand. 

With  this  understanding  of  the  meaning  of  E  it  becomes  clear  at  once 
that  the  verses  in  which  a  humble  dependence  upon  God  is  the  spirit 
sought  for  in  the  "  test,"  are  original  with  E  ;  and  these  are  easily  iden- 
tified in  XV.  25b:  xvi.  4  (vs.  5,  introducing  the  idea  that  the  "  ordinance  " 
was  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  is  Rj's),  15a,  i6a  {not  a.  fixed  amount,  in 
contrast  with  i6b,  and  consequently  not  an  amount  which  could  be 
doubled,  as  in  vs.  22,  but  enough  only  for  the  satisfaction  of  one  day's  re- 


86  EXODUS. 

quirement),  19b  (no  provision  for  the  morrow),  2of.  (Israel  sliow  their  in- 
eradicable disposition  toward  self-sufficiency,  refusing  here  already  to 
be  taught  the  lesson  of  the  sermon  on  the  mount,  but  God  compels  them  to 
look  to  him  {ox  daily  bread),  35a.  Then  follows  xxii.  ib,  2,  4-6,  7,  in  part, 
(at  Meribah  the  same  lesson  is  taught  in  the  supply  of  water.    See  below.) 

Alongside  of  this  story  of  E's  runs  the  narrative  of  the  sending  of 
manna  and  quail's  of  P'',  built  on  the  unvarying  model  of  this  writer,  and 
principally  concerned  with  the  miraculous  power  of  Yahweh.  The  ele- 
ments are  taken  from  Num.  xi.  (J)  and  are  easily  recognizable  from  style 
and  language.  The  story  of  Israel's  murmuring  in  vv.  2-12  is  in  the 
unmistakable  style  of  P'-*  (see  refs.)  and  has  only  suffered  in  consequence 
of  a  transposition,  perhaps  accidental.  No  words  are  wasted  in  the  dry 
and  laconic  statement  of  the  marvel,  vv.  I3f.,  nor  in  the  directions  for 
gathering,  which  to  this  writer  are  indispensable  and  constitute  "  the  or- 
dinance "  ;  these  verses,  15b,  i6b,  19a  (?),  are  sharply  distinguished  from 
"  the  ordinance "  in  E,  in  that  (characteristically)  the  amount  to  be 
gathered  is  defined  as  "  an  omer  a  head,"  requiring  a  harmonistic  ad- 
justment (vv.  i/f.)  by  Rp.  Vv.  31  and  35b  are  each  duplicated  by  E 
material,  and  are  hence  manifestly  from  P-,  completing  the  story. 

The  rest  of  the  chapter  takes  a  different  view  of  "  the  ordinance."  and 
is  devoted  to  an  emphasizing  of  Rp's  favorite  theme,  the  Sabbath.  In 
its  simultaneous  dependence  and  independence  of  both  the  other  accounts, 
as  well  as  in  its  explanatory,  and  harmonistic  character,  and  its  style, 
combining  the  language  of  JE,  D  and  P,  it  is  clearly  the  work  of  this 
redactor.  For  the  evidence  in  detail  see  Art.  111.  There  remains  the 
passage  xvii.  1-7  whose  confusion  of  localities,  and  duplication  of  Num. 
XX.  1-13  has  already  been  referred  to.  Here  vs.  la  is  simply  the  regular 
formula  of  P.  But  the  mention  of  Horeb,  the  use  of  the  rod  of  Moses, 
the  reference  to  his  smiting  the  river  (cf.  vs.  5  with  vii.  17),  all  show  that 
vv.  4-6  are  certainly  from  E,  and  undoubtedly  in  their  original  position, 
since  "  Horeb  "  is  the  station  immediately  "  before  the  people."  But  the 
duplication  of  vs.  3  by  ib,  2  is  undeniable  (see  above,  p.  81),  and  in  vv.. 
2b  and  7  we  have  traces  of  a  Massah-story  quite  different  from  E's. 
Moreover  the  present  narrative  contains  no  allusion  whatever  to  the 
rebellious  words  the  peoi^le  are  accused  of  uttering  in  vs.  7.  The  por- 
tions (vv.  2b,  7  in  parti  which  have  to  do  with  the  etymology  of  Massah 
may  therefore  be  assigned  with  confidence  to  J.  Moreover,  as  only  J 
speaks  of  Israel's  taking  '  flocks  and  herds  '  with  them  from  Egypt,  and 
is  constantly  mindful  of  them  (cf.  ix.  6  ;  x.  9,  26  :  xii.  32,  38  ;  xix  :  13  ;  xx.xiv. 
3)  whereas  E  seems  to  conceive  Israel  as  burdened  with  a  quite  different 
species  of  wealth,  xii.  35f.  ;  xiii.    17-19.  at  least  until  their  arrival  in  Kad- 


XV.  22.       FOOD  AND   WATER  IN  THE  DESERT.  87 

esh,  we  may  count  vs.  3  ("  our  cattle  ")  with  J,  especially  as  it  strongly  re- 
sembles xiv.  II  ;  Num.  xi.  5,  20  ;  xvi.  13;  xx.  5.  Cf.also  ch.  xv.  24  and  Nu. 
xiv.  2.  The  duplicate  of  vs.  3,  viz.  ib,  2a,  critics  have  endeavored  to  derive 
from  J  ;  because,  regarding  vs.  7  as  a  unit,  it  seemed  necessary  to  con- 
nect vs.  2  as  a  whole  with  it.  In  order  to  do  this  Cornill,  in  his  acute 
discussion  of  this  chapter  in  Z.  A.  \V.,  xi.  i,  (1891),  is  obliged  to  suppose 
a  double  recurrence  of  the  Meribah  story  in  the  same  document,  so  far 
at  least  as  concerns  the  key-clause,  "  and  the  people  strove  with  Moses," 
once  here  and  once  again  in  Num.  xx,.  the  repetition  being  supposed  to 
be  accidental  and  due  to  transposition  of  material  by  Rp  from  Num.  xx. 
to  this  place.  E  had  then  no  aetiology  of  Meribah,  and  J  had  two  iden- 
tical ones,  one  explained  as  a  duplication  by  Rp.  The  explanation  seems 
no  less  far-fetched  than  the  supposedly  displaced  material.  But  inde- 
pendently of  this  vs.  7  seems  to  me  to  indicate  a  composite  character. 
There  is  no  trace  elsewhere  of  a  place  Massah-Meribah.  On  the  con- 
trary, Deuteronomy  always  separates  the  two.  In  the  nature  of  the 
case  it  seems  to  me  improbable  that  J  should  have  represented  Moses  as 
giving  to  a  single  place,  on  a  single  occasion,  and  because  of  a  single 
occurrence,  two  different  names  simultaneously.  All  things  considered, 
the  probability  seems  immeasurably  stronger  that  we  have,  as  the  "  pro- 
phetic "  element  of  Num.  xx.  J's  Meribah-story,  and  in  Ex.  xvii.  ib-7 
E's.  To  this  latter  have  been  added  fragments  of  J's  story  of  Massak, 
vv.  3,  2b,  7  in  part,  which  of  course  must  have  stood  in  proximity  to  E's 
in  ch.  xvi.     For  details  see  refs.  and  Art.  III.  above  cited.* 

We  have  thus,  as  the  order  of  journeying  in  E,  first  Massah,  then,  a 
little  beyond,  Meribah  (xvii.  5),  which  appears  to  be  at  the  foot  of  Horeb 
(xvii.  6;  xxxii.  20:  Cf.  Dt.  ix.  21,  "the  brook  that  descended  out  of 
the  mount  ").  In  J  they  pass  from  Marah  to  Elim,  and  thence  to  (Rep- 
hidim  ?),  where  the  well  (discovered  ?)  receives  the  name  Massah.  and 
this  correspondingly  appears  to  be  at  the  foot  of  Sinai,  which  may,  or 
may  not,  be  the  same  as  Horeb.  At  least  the  story  of  J  in  chh.  xxxiiif. 
affords  an  appropriate  answer  to  the  rebellious  demand  of  xvii.  7. 


(J)  ^^Aml  Moses  le<l  Israel  onward  from  the  Red  Sea,  22 
and  they  went  out  into  the  wilderness  of  Shur ;  and 

"Cf.  13  :  i7f. 

*  In  Art.  III.  the  analysis  offered  is  somewhat  closer  than  the  above  to 
that  of  Cornill.  Since  tlie  first  effect  of  the  arguments  of  this  acute  and  schol- 
arly critic  I  have   felt  constrained  to  return  in  some  respects  to  my  original 


88  EXODUS.  XV.  23. 

they  went  ^'three  days  in  the  wilderness,  and  found  no 

23  water.  And  when  they  came  to  Marah,  they  could 
not  drink  of  the  waters  of  Marah,  for  they  were  bitter : 

24  -  therefore  the  name  of  it  was  called  Marah.  And  the 
people  -^murmured  against  Moses,  saying,  What  shall 

25  we  drink  ?  And  he  cried  unto  Yahweh,  and  Yahweh 
shewed  him  a  tree,  and  he  cast  it  into  the  waters, 
(E)  and  the  waters  were  made  sweet.  [  •  •  ]  "There 
he  made  for  them  a  statute  and  an    ordinance,  and  there  he 

26  (Rd)  -'^proved  them  :[...]  -^and  he  said,  If  thou  will  diligently 
hearken  to  the  voice  of  Yahweh  thy  God,  and  wilt  do  that  which  is  right  in 
his  eyes,  and  wilt  give  ear  to  his  commandments,  and  keep  all  his  statutes,  I 
-^vvill  put  none  of  the  diseases  upon  thee,  which  I  have  put  upon  the  Egyp- 
tians :  for  I  am  Yahweh  that  healeth  thee.* 

27  (J)  -'And  they  came  to  Elim,  where  Avere  twelve 
^^springs  of  water,  and  threescore  and  ten  palm  trees  : 

16  (P)  and  they  encamped  there  by  the  waters.  [  •  .  ■  ]  And 

they  took  their  Journey  from  Eliin_^\^  ^amt  ait  the  congregation  0/  the 
children  of  Israel  came  unto  the  wilderness  of  Sin,  which  is  between 
Elim  afid  Sinai,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  second  month  after  their 

2  departing  out  of  the  land  of  -t^gypt. — ^Ajid  the  whole  congregation 
of  the  children  of   Israel    nuinnurcd   against  Moses    and  against 

3  Aaron  in  the  icilderness  :  and  the  children  of  Israel  said  unto 
them,  Would  that  we  had  died  ly  the  hand  of  Yahweh  in  the  lane, 
of  Egygt,hvhen  we  sally  the  fesh  pots,  when  we  did  eat  Ireaa 
to  the  full,  for  ye  haie   brought  us  forth  into    this    wilderness,  t(. 

4  (E)  kill  this  whole  assenddy  with  hunger.  Then  said  Yahwcli 
unto  Moses,  Behold,  1  will  rain  bread  from  heaven  for  you  ; 

'"3  :  8  ;  5  :  3  etc.  ^oGgn  ii  :  8  ;  i6  :  14  ;  19  :  22  etc.  !"  17  :  3  :  Nu.  14  :  2a.  "ajog,  ^^  .  25  ;  j 
Sam.  30  :  25.  ^sQgn  22  :  i  :  Ex.  16  : 4  ;  20  :  22  ;  Nu.  14  :  22etc.  cf.  17:7:  Dt.  33  :  8.  "^^Xix.. 
28:1.  «523  :  25.  2«Vs.  23.  27Gen.  16:7.  '17  :  i  ;  19  :  letc.  '-"Nu.  14:2520:  iff.  =Cf. 
Nu.  II  15. 

*  Vs.  26  is  regarded  by  critics  generallv  as  from  Rd.  The  motive  would  he 
the  sei^aration  of  vs.  25b  from  its  original  context.  It  is  possible  that  we  have 
here  some  original  material,  the  last  clause  suggesting  a  possible  aetiology  of 
the  name  Rephidim  [rapha  "  heal  ").  The  verse  as  a  whole  is  certainly  redac- 
tional.     See  Analysis,  p.  8r,  and  observe  the  confusion  of  subject. 

t  For  "  Elim  "  read  "  the  Red  .Sea,"  and  cf.  Nu.  xxxiii.  1 1,  and  Art.  III.  Rp 
was  of  course  obliged  in  xvi.  i  to  bring  the  data  of  P  into  harmony  with  the 
preceding. 


XVI.  15-      FOOD  AND    WATER  IN  THE  DESERT.  89 

and  the  people  shall  go  out  and  gather  a  day's  portion  every 
day,  *that  I   may    prove  them,  whether   they  will  walk  in  my 

(Rp)  law,  or  no.       And  it  shall  come  to  pass  on  the  sixth  day,  that  they      c 
shall prepa7-e  that  which  they  tiring  in,  and  it  shall  lie  tiuice  as  much  as  they 

(P)  gather  daily.— And  Moses  a/id  Aaro/i  said  unto  all  the  children    6 
of  Israel,  ^At  rven,  then  ye  shall  know  that  Yahweh  hath  brought 
you  out  front  the  land  of  Egypt :  and  iti  the  tnortiing,  then  ye  shall    7 
see  the  gloty  of  Yahweh  ;  for  that  he  heareth  your  niurniurings 
against  Yahweh  ;  and  what  are  we,  that  ye  murniur  against  us  I — 
^Rp)  And  Most' s  said.  This  shall  be  when    Yahweh   shall  gi-oe yon  i)i  the     8 
evening  flesh  to  eat,  and  in  the   morning  bread  to  the  full,  '°for  that   Yahrveh 
heareth  your  miirviiirings  which  ye  murmur  against  hitn  ;  and  what  are  we  ? 
(P)  your  murmurings  are  not  against  us  butagai7ist  Yahweh.*    Atld Moses     Q 

said  unto  Aaron,  Say  unto  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  Come  near  before  Yahweh  :  for  he  hath  heard  your  mur- 
murings.     And  it  came   to  pass,  as  Aaron  spake   unto  the  whole  10 
congregation  of  the   children   of  Israel.,  that  'they  looked  toward 
the  wilderness,^  and,  behold,  the  glory  of  Yahweh    appeared  in  the 
cloud.  ^And  Yahweh  spake  tinto  Moses,  saying,  I  have  heard  the  i  i-i  2 
mitr murings  of  the  children  of  Israel :  speak  u/ito  them,  saying.  At 
ei'cii  ye  shall  eat  flesh,  and  in  the  morning  ye  shall  be  filled  with 
bread  ;  and yc  shall  k note  that  I  am  Yahweh  your  God.     And  it  13 
came  to  pass  at   ei'cii,  that   the  ^^quails  catne  up,  and  covered  the 
camp  :  and  ^'i/i  the   nuvuiiig   the  dew  lay  round  about   the  camp. 
And  when  the  dew  that  lay  was  gone  up,  behold,  itpon  the  face  of  1^ 
the  wilderness  a  small  round  thing,  small  as  the  hoar  frost  on  the 
(E)  ground.  [  .  .  .  ]     And  when  the  children  of  Israel  saw  it,  15 

<Dt.  8  :  2.  16.  5Vs.  12.  6Nu.  ,5  •  II  .  vs.  7.  'Nu.  i6  :  42.  »*Cf.  vs.  6f.  uNu.  11  :  311" 
"Nu.  II  :g. 

*  Vv.  6f.  must  obviously  come  after,  not  before,  vv.  iif.  Verse  8,  which 
repeats  vv.  12  and  7,  appears  to  be  explanatory  of  vs.  7.  Wellhausen  [Comp. 
p.  325)  suggests  that  the  displacement  of  vv.  6f.  may  have  been  caused  by  the 
marginal  gloss  vs.  8  drawing  6f.  into  the  margin  with  it. 

t  "  Wilderness  ''"  (midbar)  is  an  impossible  reading,  since  Israel  is  encamped 
in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness.  Repeated  analogy  (seg  refs.)  suggests  that  the 
original  was  mishkan  "tabernacle,"  the  regular  place  for  the  appearance  of  the 
shekinah.  This  would  of  course  strike  Rp  as  an  anachronism  positively  requir- 
ing alteration,  though  he  has  left  others  (vv.  9,  33f. ),  less  conspicuous  but  no  less 
positive,  as  evidence  of  the  displacement  of  the  P  element  of  this  narrative. 


90  EXODUS.  XV.  16. 

^"they  said  one  to  another,  What  is  it  ?  for  they  wist  not  what 
(P)  it  was.  And  Moses  said  unto  them,  //  /s  the  bread  which 
\()  {^)  Yahwek  hath  given  you  to  eat.  This  is  the  thing  which 
Yahweh  hath  "commanded.  Gather  ye  of  it  every  man  accord- 
(P)  ing  to  his  eating,  ^^an  omcr  a  head,  according  to  the  number 
of  YOU  r  persons,  shall  ye  take  it,  every  man  for  them  which  are  in 

17  (Rp)     h'^    tent.       And  tke  children    of  Israel  did  so,  and  gathered  some 

18  more,  some  Uss.  And  when  they  did  mete  it  with  an  oiner,  he  that  gathered 
much  had  nothing  over,  and  he  that  gathered  little  had  no  lack  ;  they  gathered 

(P)  every    man   according  to   his   calm-.*      — And  Moses  said  unto  them 

19-20  (E) — t  Let  no  man  leave  of  it  till  the  morning.  Notwith- 
standing they  hearkened  not  unto  Moses  ;  but  some  of  them 
left  of  it   until  the  morning,  and   it  bred   worms  and   stank  : 

^  and  Moses  was  wroth  with  them.  And  they  gathered  it  morn- 
ing by   morning,  every  man  according  to    his  eating  :  and 

22  (Rp)  ^%hen  the  sun  waxed  hot.  it  melted.     Atid  it  came  to  pass, 

that  on  the  sixth  day  they  gathered  twice  as  much  bread,  ^'two  omers for  each 
22  one:  and  all  the '^'^rulers  of  the  congregation  came  and  told  Aloses.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  ^^ This  is  that  zuhich  Yahweh  hath  spoken,  To-morraio  is  a 
solemn  rest,  a  holy  sabbath  unto  Yahweh  :  '^bake  that  which  ye  will  bake,  and 
seethe  that  which  ye  -<aill  seethe  :  and  all  that  reniaiiieth  over  lay  up  for  yon  to 

24  be  kept  until  the  morning.     And  they  laid  it   ///>  ////  the  morning,  as  Moses 

25  bade:  and  it  did  not  stink,  neither  was  there  any  -utorm  therein.  And  Moses 
said,  Eat  that  to-day  :  for  to-day  is  a  sabbath    unto  Yahweh  :  to-day  ye  shall 

26  not  find  it  tn  the  field.     '^^Six  days  ye  shall  gather  it ;  but  on  the  seventh  day 

27  is  the  sabbath,  in  it  there  shall  be  none.  And  it  catne  to  pass  on  the  seve7ith 
day,  that  there  went  out  some  of  the  people  for   to  gather,  and  they  found 

28  none.     And  Yahweh  said  tmto  Moses,  "^Hoia  long  refuse  ye  to  keep  my  cotn- 

29  mandments  and  my  laws  ?  See,  for  that  Yahweh  hath  given  you  the  sabbath, 
therefore  he  giveth  you  on  the  sixth  day  the  bread  of  two  days  ;  abide  ye  every 

30  juan  in  his  place,  let  no  man  go   out  of  his  place  on  the    seventh  day.     So  the 

31  (P)  people  rested  on  the  seventh  day.  '^And  the  house  of  fsrae! 
called  the  name  thereof  Manna  :  -\tiid  it  icas  like  coriander 
seed,  white  ;  and  the  taste  of  it  was   like   wafers   \^made]  with 

"Dt.  8  :  3,  16  ;  icf.  vs.  31.  'H's.  4.  '^^S  ■  .!6  ;  Nu.  1  :  2,  18,  20  etc.  "'Cl.  vs.  j  ^b.  i"\'s. 
i6b.  "Nu.  7  :  2,  3  etc  '"Cf.  vv.  16,  32.  '•"'Nu.  n  :  8  ;  cf.  vs.  21.  ■^'.-o  :  yf.  -■^.o  :  ^  7  ; 
Nu.  14  :  II,  26  ;  Jos.  18  :  3.    ^^Vs.  15.    '■'^Nu.  n  :  7. 

*  llarmoiiistic    redaction.     The    miraculou.s  adjii.stment    of    llie    amount  ex- 
plains how  it  could  he  true  that  "  ihey  gathered   it  everv  man  according    to  his 
eating  "  (K),  and  at  the  same  time  that  they  gathered  "an  omer  a  head"  (!'). 
t  Insert  after  vs.   14. 


XVII.  7.      FOOD  AND    IVATER  IN  THE  DESERT.  1)1 

(Rp)    /lOncy.       And  Mosfs  sani,   "^^This  is   the  thing  loluch  Yalnveh  hath  32 
commanded.  Let  an  omerfiil  of  it  be  kept  for  your  generations  ;  that  they  may 
see  the   bread  -therewith  I  fed  yoti  in  the  wilderness,  when  I  brought  yon 
forth  from  the   land  of  Egypt.     And  Moses   said  unto  Aaron,  Take  a  pot,  33 
and  put  an    omerful  of  manna  therein,  and  lay  it  up  -'^before  Yahweh,  to  be 
kept  for  your  generations.     As  Valnueh  C07nmanded  Moses,  so  Aaron  laid  it  3^ 
7ip  -^'before  the  Testimony,  to  be  kept.* 

(E)     And  the  children  of   Israel  did  eat   the  manna  forty  35 
(P)  years,  until  they  came  to  a  land  inhabited  ;  '^^they  did  eat  36 
the  manna,  until  they  came  unto  the  borders  of  the  land  of  Canaan. 
(Rp)  A''o"c(j  an  omer  is  the  tenth  part  of  an  ephah. — 

(P)     ^ And  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of  fsracl  four-  17 
neved from  the  wilder ness  of  Sin,  by  their  fourncys,  according  to 
(E)  the  commandment  of  Yahweh,  and  pitched  in  Rephidim:  and 
there  was  no  water  for  the  people  to  drink.     '^Wherefore  the    2 
people  strove  with    Moses,  and   said,  Give   us  water  that  we 
may  drink.     And  Moses  said  unto  them.  Why  strive  ye  with 
(J)  me  ?— wherefore  do  ye  tempt  Yahweh? — And  the    3 
people  thirsted  there  for  water ;  ^aiid  the  people  mur- 
mured against  Moses,  and  said,  ^Wherefore  hast  thou 
brought  us  up  out  of  Egypt,  to  kill  his  and  our  cliil- 
(E)  dren  and  our  cattle  with  thirst  ?  [.  .    ]  "^And  Moses    4 
cried  unto  Yahweh,  saying.  What  shall  I  do  unto  this  people  ? 
they   be   almost    ready    to    stone    me.     And    Yahweh    said    5 
unto  Moses,  Pass    on  before  the  people,  and   take  with  thee 
of  the  elders  of  Israel  ;  and  thy  rod,  wherewith  thou  '^smotest 
the  river,  take  in  thine  hand,  and  go  [ .  .   .].     f  Behold  I  will    6 
stand  before  thee  there    upon  the  rock   in  'Horeb  ;  and  thou 
shall  ^smite   the  rock,  and  there    shall   come  water  out  of  it, 

"Vv.  16,  23.  26Vv.  9,  34  :  Nu.  17  :  gf.  ■^-■2-]  :  i^i  ;  30  :  36etc.  :  Nu.  17  :  8,  10.  ^sjos.  5  :  12. 
'Nu.  10  :  i2f.  ;  33  :  2etc.  "^^w.  20  :  3.  ^15  :  24  ;  Nu.  14  :  2.  '^n  :  iif.  ;  Nu.  20  :  5.  *ro: 
9.     *7  :  20.     ■'s  :  I.     "Cf.  Nu.  20  :  1-13. 

*  The  authenticity  of  vv.  32-34  is  doulitfii).  The  occasion  for  their  insertion 
appears  to  be  the  uncertainty  of  "  the  thing  which  Yahweh  hath  commanded  "; 
cf.  vv.  16  and  23.  In  spite  of  their  peculiarly  Deuteronomic  interest  in  pos- 
terity there  is  no  cogent  reason  for  denying  the  verses  to  P-  if  the  story  be 
placed  subsequently  to  the  erection  of  the  Tabernacle. 

t  The  name,  or  description,  of  the  place  to  which  Moses  is  to  "  go  "  is  miss- 
ing;  doubtless  for  harmonistic   reasons,  , is  in  Cien.  .\.\xi.  25.       The  story  of  vv. 


92  EXODUS. 

that  the  people  ma)-  drink.     And  Moses  did   so  ^in  the  sight 

7     of  the  elders  of  Israel.     And  he  called  the  name  of  the  place 

^"MaSSah  and  Meribah,  because  of  the  striving  of  the  children 

(J)  of  "Israel  and  because  they  tempted  Yahweh,  saying 
is  Yah  well  among  us,  or  not  '\ 


3  Chh.  xvii.  8-xix.  25.     Encampment  at  Horeb.    Preliminaries 
TO  THE  Giving  of  the  Law. 

ANALYSIS. 

Under  the  above  heading  it  is  necessary  to  group  together  some  of  the 
most  remarkable  products  of  R's  compilatory  necessities,  the  story  of  the 
fight  with  Amalek  and  of  Jethro's  visit  being  obviously  inserted  where 
they  do  not  belong.  Following,  however,  the  text  as  we  have  it,  we 
learn  first  of  Amalek's  attack  at  Rephidim.  Joshua  marshalls  the  forces 
of  Israel,  while  Moses,  accompanied  by  Aaron  and  Hur,  wields  the  rod 
of  God  upon  the  hill-top.  The  outstretched  rod  secures  the  victory  to 
Israel,  and  Moses  commemorates  it  by  the  altar  of  Yahweh-nissi ;  xvii.  8- 
16.  Jethro  visits  Moses,  bringing  the  wife  and  sons  of  the  latter. 
After  salutations  and  a  sacrifice  "before  God,"  Jethro,  on  the  morrow, 
sees  Moses  occupied  with  judgment  and  "  making  known  the  statutes  of 
God  and  his  laws."  He  recommends  the  appointment  of  judges  and 
officers.  This  done,  he  departs  to  his  own  land  ;  ch.  xviii.  Israel 
arrives  at  Sinai.  Moses  ascends  the  mount  and  receives  a  message  for 
the  people,  xix.  1-7.  He  returns  again  to  the  mount  and  is  given 
directions  preliminary  to  a  theophany,  and    these  the   people   carry  out  ; 

'■'~  :  20.     '"Dt.  6  :  16  ;  9  :  22;  33  :  S.      "33  :  14  ;  34  :  q  ;  Nu.  n  ;  20. 

ibff.  opens  without  a  specified  locality,  and  the  scene  may  perhaps  originally 
have  been  simply  the  wilderness  route.  But  the  place  to  which  Moses  betakes 
himself  is  Meribah,  so  designated,  however,  as  not  to  anticipate  the  etymology 
in  vs.  7.  This  Meribah  (identical  with  Meribah-Kadesh  of  Num.  .\x. .')  would 
seem  to  have  been  at  the  foot  of  Horeb  (vs.  6;  cf.  Dt.  i.\.  21).  Both  Massah 
and  Meribah  are  names  of  sacred  wells,  which  from  their  true  etymology  (Ka- 
desh  =  "  sacred  "  ;  Meribah  ="  waters  of  controversy  ";  Massah^"  place  of 
trial  ")  must  haye  been  resorted  to  for  divination  and  oracular  decision  of 
questions,  as  at  the  sacred  well  of  Dajjhnc  (see,  \V.  Robertson  Smith,  "  Re- 
ligion of  the  Semites,"  pp.  I56ff.).  So  in  (Ion.  .\iv.  7  F.ii  Mishpat  =  "  fountain 
of  judgment." 


ENCAMPMENT  A  T  HOREB.  93 

vv.  8-15.  On  the  third  day  the  people  are  assembled  at  the  foot  of  the 
mount,  which  burns  and  smokes  as  Yahweh  descends  upon  it.  The 
theophany  begins;  vv.  16-19.  Yahweh  descends  upon  Sinai,  summons 
Moses,  and  reiterates  in  different  form  the  instructions  previously  given. 
Moses  protests  that  this  is  already  done ;  but  is  again  sent  down  to 
charge  the  people;  vv.  20-25. 

In  xvii.  8-16  and  ch.  xviii.  we  have  abundant  evidence  of  the  presence 
of  E.  The  style  and  standpoint  are  unmistakable.  The  mention  of  the 
"  rod  of  God  "  as  Moses' divine  equipment  connects  xvii.  8-16  with  the 
previous  series  of  E  passages,  in  which  the  same  agency  invariably  ap- 
pears ;  that  of  "  Aaron  and  Hur  "  as  Moses'  coadjutors,  with  Joshua  as 
his  lieutenant,  connect  the  passage  no  less  certainly  with  a  subsequent 
series  in  which  the  same  characters  appear  (cf.  xxiv.  i3f).  Only  it  is 
highly  improbable  that  Joshua  should  here  be  brought  in  for  the  first 
time,  tmm^roduced,  when  in  subsequent  passages  (xxiv.  13;  xxxiii.  11) 
he  is  introduced  \.o  the  reader  as  "  Moses'  minister,"  and  as  "  a  young 
man,  the  son  of  Nun,  Moses'  minister."  Moreover  we  scarcely  expect 
an  attack  from  Amalek  at  this  point  in  the  story,  where  Israel  is  not 
seeking  a  settlement,  but  only  visiting  a  sacred  locality,  even  if  the 
shrine  were  in  Amalekite  territory.  But  Amalek  according  to  Num.  xiii. 
29;  xiv.  25,  43,45  is  rather  differently  located,  and  from  the  same 
chapters  it  would  appear  that  Israel  came  into  collision  with  Amalek 
after  turning  northward  from  Horeb.  Again  "the  top  of  the  hill,"  vv. 
9f.,  is  a  meanmgless  expression  in  the  present  connection.  But  cf.  Num. 
xiv.  40.  The  role  of  Moses  here  is  that  of  an  old  man,  and  that  of 
Joshua  of  a  mature  and  trusted  warrior,  to  whom  the  burden  of  future 
wars  is  to  be  transmitted,  vs.  14.  Only  "  Rephidim,"  vs.  8,  remains  as 
the  undoubted  occasion  for  the  insertion  of  the  fragment  at  this  point, 
and  "  Rephidim  "  in  vs.  i,  as  we  have  already  seen,  is  only  from  P,  or  at 
most  originally  from  J,  its  connection  with  E's  narrative  at  this  point 
being  purely  redactional.  Dt.  xxv.  17-19  ("  as  ye  came  forth")  is  not  in 
conflict  with  the  idea  of  a  displacement  of  Ex.  xvii.  8-16  ;  cf.  Dt.  xxiv.  9, 
and  to  this  conclusion  the  facts  impel  us.  The  inference  must  be  that 
in  E  Rephidim  was  a  station  reached  after  removal  from  Horeb,  the 
story  having  been  removed  hither  by  Rp  to  make  vs.  8  agree  with  vs.  i.* 

It  is  quite  needless  to  accumulate  evidences  of  the  E  origin  of  ch.  xviii. 

*This  passage  xvii.  8-16  is  one  of  several  which  tend  strongly  to  show  that 
our  E  of  the  Hexateuch  is  really  an  E'^,  and  this  may  well  account  for  the  dis- 
placement of  xvii.  8-16,  which  might  then  be  the  work  of  E  (E^)  himself. 
Budde  in  fact  thinks  the  battle  presupposed  by  xviii.  8  ("  all  the  travail  ")  ; 
but  the  first  task  must  be  the  extrication  of  E  (E-). 


94  EXODUS. 

The  habitual  use  of  Elohim,  "  Jethro  "  as  Moses'  father-in-law,  the  posi- 
tion of  Aaron,  the  "  causes  brought  to  God  "  (cf.  xxii.  9  ;  xxiv.  14)  and 
interest  in  the  administration  of  justice,  (cf.  chh.  xxif.),  are  all  character- 
istic of  E,  the  whole  story  of  the  appointment  of  judges  and  ofificers  being 
in  a  measure  parallel  to  iv.  10-16  (J)  where  the  priesthood  (represented  by 
Aaron)  are  entrusted  with  the  functions  of  interpreters  of  the  law.  Only 
in  vv.  1-4  are  there  manifest  traces  of  Rje  (see  note  ///  loc.)  and  in  vv.  8- 
1 1  a  certain  redundancy,  which  may  indicate  the  presence  of  a  second 
source. 

It  is  certain  that  J  had  also  an  account  of  the  coming  of  "  Hobab  the 
son  of  Reuel,  Moses'  father-in-law  "  to  meet  him  at  Sinai  ;  for  in  Num. 
X.  29-32  Moses  is  engaged  in  persuading  this  Hobab  to  accompany 
them  "  to  the  place  of  which  Yahwe'h  had  said  to  Israel,  I  will  give  it 
you."  It  appears  further  from  Jud.  iv.  11,  that  contrary  to  Ex.  xviii.  27 
he  actually  did  go.  As  we  shall  see,  the  true  position  of  Ex.  xviii.  is 
practically  the  same  as  Num.  x.  29.  Under  these  circumstances  it  seems 
extremely  probable  that  Rje  may  have  preserved  in  ch.  xviii.  1-12,  some 
traces  of  J's  parallel.  The  language  of  vs.  7  in  fact  shows  affinity  with 
J  (see  refs.),  and  one  can  hardly  consider  it  natural  that  Jethro  should 
be  already  talking  with  Moses,  vs.  6,  before  Moses  has  gone  out  to  meet 
him ;  vs.  7.  Vv.  8-1 1  contain  the  real  kernel  of  the  story,  which,  as  so 
often  happens,  proves  to  have  a  poetic  nucleus,  and  here  the  recurrence 
of  "  Yahweh "  in  contrast  with  Elohivi  throughout  the  rest  of  the 
chapter,  together  with  the  manifest  redundancy  in  vv.  9f.  seems  to 
indicate  the  presence  of  J.  In  the  absence  of  decisive  criteria  it  is  im- 
possible to  do  more  than  indicate  by  alteration  of  the  type  in  vs.  7  and 
lof.  the  occasion  for  an  analysis  for  which,  as  yet,  the  final  clew  is  want- 
ing. 

It  appears  distinctly  in  the  latter  part  of  ch.  xviii.  that  the  time  is  near 
the  close  of  the  stay  at  "  the  mount  of  dod."  In  vs.  23  the  departure  is 
already  in  contemplation,  and  the  natural  inference  from  vs.  27  is  that 
Jethro  returns  to  his  own  land  because  the  people  are  about  breaking 
camp.  Moreover  vs.  12  ("before  God  "  cf.  xxi.  6;  xxii.  9)  indicates  that 
a  regular  place  of  worship  has  been  established  ;  "  the  statutes  of  God 
and  his  laws,"  vs.  16,  can  hardly  be  any  other  than  the  "judgments  "  of 
ch.  xxif.,  or  at  least  those  of  xxiv.  12  (cf.  vs.  20)  ;  finally  we  have  an  un- 
mistakable reference  to  this  whole  story  in  Dt.  i.  9-18,  where  it  is 
expressly  stated  that  this  was  after  the  command  to  depart  from  Horeb 
(Dt.  i.  6-8 ;  cf.  Ex.  xxxii.  34)  and  immediately  before  its  e.xecution  (Dt.  i. 
19).  The  position  thus  determined  for  ch.  xviii.  as  its  original  one  is  a 
matter  of  importance  to  the  analysis,  as  indicating  the  relation  into  which 


ENCAMPMENT  A  T  HOREB.  95 

Israel  has  come  with  God  subsequently  to  the  apostacy  of  ch.  xxxii.,  and 
previous  to  the  departure  from  Horeb.  (Cf.  vs.  12  and  note  the  position 
of  Aaron.) 

In  ch.  xix.  we  have  beneath  a  surface  appearance  of  unity  the  usual 
incongruities  and  contradictions.  The  most  striking  phenomenon  is 
perhaps  the  addition  of  vv.  2off.,  which  carry  us  back  to  the  first  pre- 
liminaries in  preparation  for  the  theophany,  when  in  the  preceding  verses 
the  whole  had  not  only  been  arranged  for  three  days  past  already,  but 
the  theophany  had  actually  begun.  In  this  new  arrangement  Moses 
and  Aaron  are  to  "  come  up  to  the  top  of  the  mount "  (previously,  vv.  9, 
17,  19  it  had  been  arranged  that  Moses  should  stand  below  v^'ith  the  peo- 
ple, while  God  addressed  him  from  the  mount  in  their  hearing,)  the 
"priests  "  are  to  sanctify  themselves  (the  whole  people  had  already  done 
so  for  three  days),  and  most  of  all  must  elaborate  precautions  be  taken 
against  the  curiosity  of  the  people,  which  would  impel  them  "  to  break 
through  unto  Yahweh  to  gaze."  Yet  previously  not  only  had  these  pre- 
cautions already  been  taken,  as  Moses  indeed  ventures  to  remind  Yah- 
weh (vs.  23  ;  cf.  I2f.),  but,  so  far  from  the  people's  manifesting  a  desire 
to  "  break  through  to  gaze,"  it  had  been  necessary  to  overcome  their 
terror  and  lead  them  out  of  the  camp  toward  the  foot  of  the  mount  (vv. 
i6f.).  After  all  it  does  not  appear  that  these  second  directions  were 
carried  out.  Moses  and  Aaron  do  not  go  up,  but  the  theophany  proceeds 
in  ch.  XX.  according  to  the  former  plan  with  Moses  below,  xx.  iff.,  joining 
directly  upon  xix.  19,  as  if  nothing  whatever  had  intervened.  Remark- 
able as  is  this  interruption,  it  is  by  no  means  the  only  incongruity  of 
ch.  xix.  The  repetitions  and  inversions  of  order  in  vv.  if.,  and  the  re- 
iteration of  vs.  86  in  9b  are  a  slight  matter  ;  but  the  ascents  and  descents 
of  the  mountain  which  the  present  text  requires  of  Moses— quite  need- 
lessly—are something  prodigious.  In  vs.  3a  Moses  first  ascends.  But 
already  in  3b  he  is  below  again  ;  for  while  a  forced  interpretation  of 
Yahweh's  "  calling  to  him  out  of  the  mountain  "  might  be  made  to  show 
that  Moses  was  himself  on  the  mountain,  vs.  7  "  Moses  came  and  told  " 
(not  came  doitm  as  in  vv.  14,  25  :  xxxii.  i.  15  etc.),  shows  that  the  sense 
in  which  we  should  naturally  understand  the  expression  is  the  true  one. 
In  vs.  8  Moses  ascends  again,  or  rather  in  9ff.,  is  again  at  the  summit, 
descends  in  vs.  14,  ascends  in  vs.  20,  and  again  descends  in  vs.  25,  not 
to  ascend  again,  however,  as  directed  in  vs.  24.  In  vs.  8  the  people 
promise  to  "  do  all  that  Yahweh  hath  spoken  "  but  have  not  yet  received 
commandment  to  do  anything  Vs.  13b  directs  that  "  When  \h&  yobel 
soundeth  loud,  these  (emphatic)  shall  come  up  to  the  mount."  It  is  the 
last  WT  hear  of  the   )Wv/(the  "trumpet  "  is  quite  a  different  matter)  and 


96  EXODUS. 

who  "  these  "  may  be  we  have  no  means  whatever  of  knowing.     After 
vs.  25  the  connection  is  suddenly  broken  (see  note  /;/  ioc). 

Fortunately  there  is  no  lack  of  linguistic  and  stylistic  peculiarities 
which  accompany  the  contrasting  representations,  and  suggest  of  them- 
selves documentary  analysis  as  the  true  explanation  of  the  phenomena. 
Thus  we  observe  that  the  series  of  passages  in  which  the  theophany  is 
addressed  to  the  people,  Moses  standing  al  the  foot  of  the  mount,  and 
being  there  addressed  by  "a  voice,"  has  regularly £■/6'/^/w.  That  on  the 
contrary  in  which  the  people  are  repelled,  Moses  and  Aaron  invited  to 
the  top  of  the  mount,  and  "  the /r/d'^/j  sanctified  to  come  near,"  has  in- 
variably "  Yahweh."  But  furthermore  we  observe  that  in  this  "  Yahwis- 
tic"  series  the  mount  is  invariably  called  "  Sinai "  (vv.  11,  18,  20),  as 
subsequently  appears  to  be  the  case  in  all  J  sections  (cf,  xxxiv.  2,  4),  in- 
stead of  '•  Horeb,"  as  in  E.  The  expressions  "  Yahweh  came  down" 
(Gen.  xi.  5;  xviii.  21;  Ex.  xxxiv.  5  etc.),  "the  smoke  ascended  as  the 
smoke  of  a  furnace  "  (Gen.  xv.  17  ;xix.  28)  "  break  forth  "  (J  passhn)  "  the 
top  of  the  mount  "  (Ex.  xxxiv.  2)  are  all  found  exclusively  in  J.  In  this 
document  alone  have  we  "  priests  "  (iv.  14  cf.  xix.  22  etc.,  xxiv.  5)  •'  cat- 
tle "  (vs.  13;  see  above,  p.  86,  and  cf.  xxxiv.  3),  the  "jodet"  (Jos.  vi.  5) 
and  theophanies  in  fire  (Gen.  xv.  17  ;  Ex.  iii.  2).  All  things  considered 
we  need  have  no  hesitation  in  attributing  vv.  11-13,  18,  20-25  to  the  J 
document.  The  difficulty  of  the  chapter  ari.ses  from  the  fact  that  there 
are  passages  connected  with  the  "  Elohistic  "  series  which  also  have 
"  Yahweh."  It  becomes  necessary  to  decide  according  to  mode  of 
thought  rather  than  by  expression  merely.  The  fundamental  distinction 
between  the  two  representations  seems  to  be  that  in  the  Yahwistic 
series  the  curiosity  of  the  people  is  guarded  against,  and  they  themselves 
are  restricted  to  what  appeals  to  the  eye  at  a  distance,  only  Moses, 
Aaron  and  "  the  priests  "  coming  near ;  whereas  in  the  Elohistic  the 
people  are  brought  near  in  spite  of  their  fears,  and  addressed  by  the 
"voice."  In  accordance  with  this  is  the  direction  to  the  people  to  wash 
their  garments  and  sanctify  themselves  in  vv.  10,  i/\.i. ;  in  contrast  with 
vs.  22  where  this  becomes  the  duty  of  "  the  priests."  That  we  arc  mak- 
ing no  mistake  in  thus  assigning  vv.  10,  I4f.,  to  E  in  spite  of  a  single 
"  Yahweh  "  in  vs.  10  appear  at  once  from  a  comparison  of  their  lan- 
guage with  Gen.  xxxv.  2  (E).  Hut  further,  we  have  in  vs.  9  the  precise 
definition  of  this  Elohistic  representation.  Yahweh  will  address  Moses, 
and  the  people  are  to  hear  while  he  speaks  (cf.  vs.  19  and  xx.  iff.).  Vv. 
9f.,  14-17,  19  appear  thus  to  be  a  unit.  We  have  but  to  connect  these 
verses  with  their  sequel  xx.  iff.,  and  the  Elohistic  fragment,  vs.  3a,  to 
find  E's  narrative  of  the  giving  of  tlie   law  complete,  characteristic  and 


X  V 1 1 .  9-  ENCAMPMEN  T  AT  HOREB.  97 

unbroken,  save  for  the  accidental  dittograph  9b  =  8b.  Here  we  have  the 
explanation  of  the  exceptional  "  Yahweh  "  of  vv.  pf.  The  first  clause  in 
each  verse,  "  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses  "  is  a  redactional  resumption 
(cf.  vs.  24a)  necessitated  by  the  interruption  of  foreign  material. 

There  remains  the  seemingly  Yahwistic  passage  3b  (from  "  and  Yah- 
weh ")-8  which  implies  (vs.  7)  that  its  true  position  was  after  the  com- 
mandments of  God  had  been  uttered  to  Moses  ;  if,  however,  we  turn  to 
the  LXX.  we  discover  that  in  their  text  the  passage  was  throughout  Elo- 
histic,  "  Yahweh  "  appearing  first  in  vs.  9.  The  representation  of  a 
covenant  made  viva  voce  by  the  whole  people  belongs  to  E's  mode  of 
conception  (cf.  vs.  8  with  xxiv.  3  and  Jos.  xxiv.  i6ff.),  and  other  expressions 
of  E  occur  (see  refs.).  Yet  vv.  4f.  have  a  strongly  Deuteronomic  style 
and  seem  to  show  the  work  of  Rd.  To  assume  with  critics  generally 
under  such  conditions  that  vv.  3-8  are  the  pure  composition  of  Rd  is 
unjustifiable.  The  motive  for  addition  is  lacking.  We  shall  see  that  an 
appropriate  position  for  the  substance  of  the  passage  is  not  lacking  in 
the  document  with  whose  representation  it  is  in  affinity. 

With  the  removal  of  this  self-consistent,  complete  and  characteristic 
story  of  E,  in  which  not  a  single  essential  word  is  missing,  we  find  the 
Yahwistic  story  which  remains  behind  almost  equally  intact.  A  single 
displacement  has  occurred  (see  note  on  vv.  11-13)  and  the  sequel  does 
not  yet  appear  (it  has  been  incorporated  in  ch.  xxiv.).  But  the  narrative 
has  neither  incongruities  nor  inconsistencies  ;  it  agrees  perfectly  in  style, 
language,  theological  standpoint,  and  historical  conception  with  J.  Only 
in  vv.  if.  (regular  formula  of  itinerary)  does  the  narrative  of  P  come  into 
conjunction  with  JE,  occasioning  some  slight  confusion  (see  note  in 
loc.) ;  and  in  vs.  23  the  removal  of  vv.  i  i-i  3  from  after  24a  (to  "  priests  ") 
has  occasioned  a  curious  redactional  interpolation.  With  even  a  very 
slight  acquaintance  with  the  general  style,  language,  theological  prepos- 
sessions, and  historical  conceptions  of  J,  E  and  P,  and  a  moderately 
careful  observance  of  the  local  difference  in  point  of  view,  the  reader  can 
easily  verify  for  himself  the  analysis  of  ch.  xix. 


(E) — ^^Then  came    ^^Amalek,    and  fought    with   Israel    in    8 
Rephidim.     And    Moses  said  unto  "Joshua,  Choose  us  out    9 
men,  and  go  out,  fight  with  Amalek  :  to-morrow  I  will  stand 
on  the  ^nop  of  the  hill  with  the  ^Vod  of  God    in  mine  hand. 

"^Dt.  25  :  i7ff.      i3Nu.  13  :  29  ;  14  :  40-44  ,  21 :   1-3.      i^Ct.    Nu.  13  :  8,  16.      i^Nu.  14:  40. 
'^4  :  17,  20  ;  7  :  20  etc. 


98  EXODUS.  XVII.  lo. 

10  So  Joshua  did  as  Moses  had  said  to  him,  and  fought  with 
Amalek  :  and  ^"Moses,  Aaron,  and  Hur  went    up  to  the  top 

11  of  the  hill.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Moses  ^^held  up  his 
hand,  that  Israel  prevailed  :  and  when  he  let  down  his  hand, 

12  Amalek  prevailed.  But  Moses'  hands  were  heavy  ;  and  they 
took  a  stone,  and  put  it  under  him,  and  he  sat  thereon  ;  and 
Aaron  and  Hur  stayed  up  his  hands,  the  one  on  the  one  side, 
and  the  other  on  the  other  side  ;  and  his  hands  were  steady 

13  until  the  going  down  of   the  sun.     And  Joshua  discomfited 

14  Amalek  and  his  people  ^^with  the  edge  of  the  sword.  And 
Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Write  this  for  a  memorial  in  ii 
book,  and  rehearse  it  in  the  ears  of  Joshua  :  that  I  will 
utterly  blot    out  the  remembrance  of    Amalek    from   under 

15  heaven.     ^"^And  Moses  built  an  altar,  and   called  the  name  of 

16  it  Yahweh-nissi  :  and  he  said,  Yahweh  hath  sworn  :  Yahweh 
will  have  war  with  Amalek  from  generation  to  generation. — * 

18  — Nowf  ^Jethro,  the  priest  of  Midian,  Moses'  father-in-law, 
heard  of  all  that  God  had  done  for  Moses,  and  for  Israel  his 

2-3  people,  how  that  Yahweh  had  brought  Israel  out  of  Egypt.  And 
Jethro,  Moses'  father-in-law,  took  Zipporah,  Moses'  wife,  -^after 
he  had  sent  her  away,  and  her  two  sons  ;  of  which — the  name  of  the 
one  was  Gershom  ;  ^for  he  said,  I  have  been  a  sojourner  in  a 

4  strange  land  :  and  the  name  of  the  other  was  Eliezer  ;  for 
/;,  j-rm/,  *The  God  of  my  father  was  my  help  and  delivered  me 

5  from  the  sword  of   Pharaoh  : — \  and  Jethro,  Moses'  father-in-law, 

"24:14.  "Sg  :22f.;  10:  i2f.  ii'Gen.  34  :  26  ;  Nu.  21  :  24.  =»(ien.  33  :  20;  35  :  7.  '3:1. 
2Ct.   4  :  2off.    =2  :22.    ■'3  ;  6. 

*  In  vs.  lO  translate  with  margin  (R.  V. )  "  There  is  a  hand  upon  the  stand- 
ard {lies)  of  Yahweh."  Vs.  15  gives  the  name  of  the  shrine  whose  etiology  is 
here  related,  as  Yahweh-nissi  Yahweh  my  standard.  Hence  the  true  reading 
in  vs.  16  must  be  ;/f5,  "  standard  "  (cf.  Num.  xxi.  8),  not  Xv.r,  "  throne  "  as  in 
the  text.     N  and  K  in  Hebrew  are  often  indistinguishable. 

t  For  the  original  position  of  ch.  xviii.  see  Analysis  p.  94  and  cf.  Art.  III. 

\  The  harmonistic  clauses,  "  the  priest  of  Midian,"  and  "  after  he  had  sent 
her  away  "  require  no  further  explanation  than  a  reference  to  the  notes  on  Ilx. 
iii.  I  and  iv.  20.  The  rest  of  vv.  ib-4  is  probably  composed  of  material  from 
E's  parallel  toii.  isff.  So  far  in  J  Moses  has  but  one  son  and  Zipporah  ac- 
comiJanies  him  to  Egypt.     In  introducing  the  section    vv.  sff.,  which  represent 


XVIII.  i6.  ENCAMPMENT  AT  HOREB.  99 

came  with  his  sons  and  his  wife  unto  Moses  ^into  the  wilder- 
ness where  he  was  encamped,  at  the  mount  of  God  :  and  he  said    6 
unto  Moses,  I  thy  father-in-law    Jethro  am  come  unto  thee, 
(J)  and  thy  wife,  and  her  two  sons  with  her.     ''And   Moses    7 
went  out  to  meet  his  father-in-law,  and  did  obeisance, 
and  kissed  him  ;  and  they  asked  each  other  of  their 
welfare;    and    they    came  *  into   the  tent.   [  .     .  ] 
(E)  And  Moses  told  his  father-in-law  all    that  Yahweh  had    8 
done  unto  Pharaoh  and  to  the  Egyptians  for  Israel's  sake,  all 
the  ^travail  that  had    come   upon  them  by  the  way,  and  how 
Yahweh  delivered    them.     And    Jethro   rejoiced  for  all  the    9 
goodness  which    Yahweh  had  done  to  Israel,  in  that  he  had 
(J)  delivered  them  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians.     And  10 
Jethro  said,  ^Blessed  he  Yahweh,  who  hath  delivered  you 
out  of  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians,  and  out  of  the  hand 
of  Pharaoh ;    who  hath   delivered  the  people   from 
under  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians.    Now  I  know  that  1 1 
Yahweh  is  greater  than  all  gods :  yea,  in  the  thing 
(E)  wherein  they  ^dealt  proudly  against  them.    And  12 
Jethro,  Moses'  father-in-law,  took  a  burnt  offering  and  sacri- 
fices for  God  :  and  Aaron  came,  and  all  the  elders  of  Israel, 
to  ^"eat  bread  with    Moses'  father-in-law  before  God.     "And  13 
it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  Moses  sat  to  judge  the 
people  :  and  the  people  stood  about   Moses  from  the  morn- 
ing unto  the  evening.     And  when  Moses'  father-in-law  saw  14 
all  that  he  did  to  the  people,  he  said,  What  is  this  thing  that 
thou  doest  to  the  people  ?  why  sittest  thou  thyself  alone,  and 
all  the  people  stand  about   thee  from    morning  unto  even  ? 
And  Moses  said   unto  his  father-in-law.  Because   the  people  15 
come  unto  me  ^^to  inquire  of  God  :  when  they  have  a  matter,  16 

^Cf.  19  :  2.      «Gen.  18  :  2  ;  19  :  i  ;  43  :  27.     'Nu.  20  :  14.    ^Gen.  24.    "21  :  14.      ^oGen.  31  : 
54.    1124:14.     1221  :6  ;  22  :8f ;  vs.  19. 

Jethro  bringing  Moses'  wife  to  him  with  her  two  sons,  Rje  is  obliged  to  add 
this  supplementary  and  harmonistic  material  by  way  of  explanation.  The  ori- 
ginal story,  vv.  5ff.,  indicates  that  the  account  of  Moses'  marriage  and  of  the 
birth  of  his  two  sons  had  been  given  long  since. 

*  Read  with  LXX.  "  And  he  brought  them."     Cf.  Gen.  xliii.  27. 


100  EXODUS.  XVII  I.  17. 

they  come  unto    me  ;  and   I  judge  between   a  man  and  his 
neighbor,  and  I    make  them   know  ^^the  statutes  of  God,  and 

17  his  laws.     And    Moses'  father-in-law     said    unto    him,    The 

18  thing  that  thou  doest  is  not  good.  "Thou  wilt  surely  wear 
away,  both  thou,  and  this  people  that  is  with  thee  :  for  the 
thing  is  too  heavy  for  thee  ;  thou  art  not  able  to  perform  it 

19  thyself  alone.  Hearken  now  unto  my  voice,  I  will  give  thee 
counsel,  and   God   be  with  thee  :  be   thou  for  the  people  to 

20  God-ward,  and  bring  thou  the  causes  unto  God  :  and  thou 
(Rd)  shalt  teach  ^^them   the  statutes  and  the  laws,  and  shalt 

shew  them  the  way  wherein  they  must  walk,  and    the  work  that  they  must 

2  1  (E)  do.*  Moreover  thou  shalt  provide  out  of  all  the  people 
able  men,  such  as  fear  God,  men  of  truth,  hating  unjust  gain 
and  place  such  over  them,  to  be  ^"rulers  of  thousands,  rulers 

22  of  hundreds,  rulers  of  fifties,  and  rulers  of  tens,  and  let  them 
judge  the  people  at  all  seasons  :  and  it  shall  be,  that  every 
great  matter  they  shall  bring  unto  thee,  but  every  small 
matter  they  shall  judge  themselves  :  so  shall  it  be  easier  for 

23  thyself,  and  they  shall  bear  [the  burden]  with  thee.  If  thou 
shalt  do  this  thing,  and  God  command  thee  so,  then  thou 
shalt  be  able  to  endure,  and  all  this  people  also  shall  ^"go  to 

24  their  place  in  peace.     So  Moses  hearkened  to    the  voice  of 

25  his  father-in-law,  and  did  all  that  he  had  said.  And  Moses 
chose  able  men  out  of  all  Israel,  and  made  them  heads  over 
the  people,  rulers  of  thousands,  rulers  of  hundreds,  rulers  of 

26  fifties,  and  rulers  of  tens.  And  they  judged  the  people  at  all 
seasons  :  the    hard   causes    they   brought   unto   Moses,    but 

27  every  small  matter  they  judged  themselves.  ^^And  Moses 
let  his  father-in-law  depart  ;  and  he  went  his  way  into  his 
own  land. 

19  (P)  fn  the  third  month  after  the  ehi/Jre?!  of  fsraet  7C>ere  s^o/ie 
forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  ^the   same  day  ea/ite  they  into  the 


l>Ch.2..        1 

'"Dt. 

I  :  12-18. 

"^Gen. 

31 

:55;  Ex. 

20 

;  23  :  2off. 

l8Ct 

.  Nu.  10 

:  29-32- 

:  4of.  51  : 

16  : 

*  Vs.  20I).  goes  beyond  the  intention  of  the  chapter  to  impute  to  Moses  moral 
instruction,  clearly  manifesting  the  Deuteronomic  interest.  Probably  an  inter- 
polation of  Rd. 


XIX.  I o.  ENCAMPMENT  AT  HO REB.  101 

wilderness  of  Sinai. — And  luhen   they  7uere  departed  from  Rephi-     2 
dim^  and  were  come  to  the  7oiiderness  of  Sinai,  they  pitched  in  the 

(J)  wilderness ,— *aud  there  Israel  camped  before  the 
(E)  mount,     "And  Moses  went  up  unto    God, — and  f  Yah-    3 
weh  called  unto  him  out  of  the  mountain,  saying,  Thus  shalt 
thou  say  to  the  house  of  Jacob,  and  tell  the  children  of  Israel  ; 
(Rd)  ^Ye  have  seen  what  I  did  unto  the  Egyptians,  and  how  *I  bare  you     4 
on  eagles'  wings,  and  brought  you  unto  myself.     Now  therefore,  if  ye  will     5 
*obey  my  voice  indeed,  and  keep  my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a  ''peculiar 
treasure  unto  me  from   among  all  peoples  :  for  all  the  earth  is  mine  :  and     6 
(E)  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests,  and  "an  holy  nation.    These 
are  the  words  which  thou  shalt  speak    unto  the  children  of 
Israel.     And    Moses  came  and  called   for  the  elders  of  the    7 
people,  and  set  before   them  all  these  words    which  Yahweh 
commanded  him.     ^And  all    the  people    answered    together,    8 
and  said,  All   that  Yahweh    hath  spoken   we  will   do.     And 
Moses  reported  the  words  of  the  people  unto  Yahweh. — And    9 
Yahweh  said    unto   Moses,  Lo,  I    come   unto   thee   in  a  thick 
cloud,  ^that  the  people  may  hear  when   I   speak   with  thee, 
(Rd)  and  may  also  ^"believe  thee  for  ever.     And  Moses  told  the 
words  of   the    people    unto  Yahweh.     And  Yahweh    said   unto    Moses,    t  ^o 

'3  : 4.  ^20  :  22  ;  Jos.  24  .  7.  ^Dt.  32  :  n.  '23  :  22.  «Dt.  7  :  6  ;  14  :  2  ;  26  :  18  ;  2  Sam 
12  :  22.    '22  •  31.  Dt.  26  :  19.    82^  :  3,  7  ;  Jos.    24  :  16,  etc.    "20  :  19-21.     '"14  :  31. 

*  The  order  of  xix  i.,  and  2a  seems  to  have  been  inverted,  perhaps  (Jiil).  to 
connect  better  with  the  material  taken  from  J,  or  because  of  the  presence  of 
material  from  this  source  in  vs.  2a. 

t  The  position  which  the  passage  3b  (from  "  and  Yahweh  ") — 8  seems  to  de- 
mand for  Itself  (see  Analysis  p.  97)  is  directly  after  xx.  21  ;  cf.  Dt.  v.  2S-31,  where, 
however,  quite  different  language  is  attributed  to  Yahweh.  Vs.  8  presents 
Moses  in  the  position  required  in  xix.  17,  19;  xx.  1-21  and  presupposed  nowhere 
else;  for  8b  is  not  to  be  understood  as  signifying  an  ascent  of  the  mountain. 
In  removing  the  passage  from  its  original  position  to  the  present,  to  form  a  sort 
of  preamble  to  the  theophany,  Rd  has  modified  the  language  in  vv.  4-6  ;  cf. 
xxiii.  22,  where  LXX.  insert  vv.  5f.  between  22a   and  b. 

X  Vs.  9b.  appears  to  be  mere  scribal  error,  a  dittograph  of  8b.  The  interrup- 
tion compels  R  to  supply  :  "  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses  "  in  repetition  of 
9a  as  in  9a  the  subject  "Yahweh"  (for  simple  "  he  "  understood)  had  to  be 
supplied,  after  vv.  3b-8  were  introduced  separating  3a  from  vs.  9. 


102  EXODUS.  XIX.  II. 

(E)  Go  unto  the  people,  and    ^^sanctify  them  to-day  and  to- 
il  morrow,  and    let  them  wash    their  garments,  and    be    ready 
(J)  against  the  third  day: — for  the  third  day  Yahweh  will 
^-come  down  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people  npon  mount 

12  i^Siuai.  "And  thou  shalt  set  hounds  unto  the  people 
round  ahout,  saying.  Take  heed  to  yourselves,  that  ye 
go  not  up  into  the  mount,  or  touch  the  border  of  it : 
whosoever  toucheth  the  mount  shall  be  surely  put  to 

13  death  :  no  hand  shall  touch  him,  but  he  shall  surely 
be  stoned,  or  shot  through  ;  w  hether  it  be  ^^beast  or 
man,  it  shall  not  live ;  w  hen  the  ^'^trumpet  soundeth 

14  (E)  long,  they  shall  come  up  to  the  mount.—*  ^'And 
Moses  went  down  from  the  mount  unto  the  people,  and  sanc- 

15  tified  the  people  ;  and  they  washed  their  garments.  And 
he  said   unto    the  people,  Be    ready    against  the  third  day  : 

16  come  not  near  a  woman.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  third 
day,  when  it  was  morning,  that  there  were  thunders  and  light- 
nings, and  a  ^^thick  cloud  upon  the  mount,  and  the  voice  of  a 
trumpet  exceeding  loud  ;  ^^and   all  the    people  that  were  in 

17  the  camp  trembled.  And  Moses  brought  forth  the  people 
out  of  the  camp  to  meet  God  ;  and  they  stood  at  the  nether 

18  (J)  part  of  the  mount.  And  mount  Sinai  was  altogether 
on  smoke,  because  Yahweh  descended  upon  it  in  fire  : 
-•^and  the  smoke  thereof  ascended  as  the  smoke  of  a 


"Vs.  i4f.;  Gen.  35:2. 

i^Ger 

1.  11:5,  7;  Ex.  3:6 

!  etc. 

i3Vv.   20  ; 

34  :  2,   4  ;  Dt.  33  :  2. 

"Vv.  21-24  :  24  :  2  ;  34  :  3. 

'5l2 

:38;    17  :3  ;  34  :3- 

>«Ct. 

vv.  16,  19. 

"Vs.    10.     "Vs.  9  ; 

33  :  gf.     '"20  :  18-21.     ^"Gei 

1.  15  : 

17;  19:28. 

*Vs.  13  imperatively  requires  an  antecedent  for  the  emphatic  hemmalt 
"  t/iesc"  who  in  contrast  with  the  people,  "shall  come  up."  As  the  people  are 
to  be  ke])t  away,  the  privileged  individuals  can  be  only  those  referred  to  in  vv. 
22,  24,  "  Moses  and  Aaron  and  the  priests  "  (see  note  on  vs.  24,  and  cf.  xxiv.  if., 
9-11).  We  find  ourselves  in  fact  in  vv.  11-13  in  the  midst  of  the  preliminary 
interview  of  Moses  with  Yahweh  (there  is  no  need  to  suppose  more  than  one 
interview)  in  which  Moses  receives  directions  in  preparation  for  the  approach- 
ing theophany,  which  in  J  may  have  been  on  the  morrow  (cf.  viii.  9,  23,  etc.) 
instead  of  "  the  third  day,"  vs.  11.  (E).  Now  this  is  precisely  the  condition  of 
affairs  in  vv.  2off.;  and  here,  w/3.  after  24a,  "  thou,  and  Aaron  with  thee,  and 
the  priests,"  we  discover  the  original  jjosition  of  vv.  11-13,  whose  removal  ha& 
made  necessary  the  curious  niterpolntion  vs.  23. 


XIX.  25.  ENCAMPMENT  AT  HOREB.  103 

furnace,    and    the   whole   mount   quaked    greatly.* 

(E)  And  when  the  voice   of    the  trumpet  waxed  louder  and  19 
louder,   Moses   spake,  and    God    answered   him  by  a   voice. 
(J)  -^And  Yahweh  came  down  upon  mount  Sinai,  to  the  20 
top  of  the  mount :  and  Yahweh  called  Moses  to  the  top 
of  the  mount ;  and  Moses  went  up.    And  Yahweh  said  21 
unto  Moses,  Go  down,  ^-charge  the  people,  lest  they 
break  through  unto  Yahweh  to  gaze,  and  many  of 
them  perish.    And  let  the  "^priests  also,  which  come  22 
near  to  Yalnveh,  sanctify  themselves,  lest  Yahweh 

(Rje)  -*break    forth    upon   them.      And  Moses   said  unto  Yah-  23 
weh,  The  people  cannot  come  up  to   mount    Sinai :  for  thou  -°didst  charge 
us,  saying,  Set  bounds   about    the    mount,  and   sanctify  it.     And    Yahweh  24 
(J)  said  unto  him,  Go,  get  thee  down  ;  t  aud  tllOU  slialt  COUIC  Up, 

*'thou,  and  Aaron  with  thee  :  hut  let  not  the  priests| 
and  the  people  break  through  to  come  up  unto  Yah- 
weh, lest  he  break  forth  upon  them.    So  Moses  went  25 
down  unto  the  people,  and  told  them.  §  [  ...  J 

2iVv.  II,  18  ;  Gen.  n  :  5,  etc.    ""^Q.^..  vv.    i6f.    ='4  :  14  ;  24  :  i  ;  32  :  29  ;  Ct.  vv.  6,  ig,  17  ;  24  : 
5.     2<i  :  12  ;  Gen.   30  :  30,  43  ;  38,  9  ;  2Sam.  5  :  20  ;  6  :  8,  etc.     ^svv.  i2f.     263^  .  if_  g_i, 

*  The  order  20a,  18,  20b  is  preferred  by  some  critics. 

t  Vs.  23  in  the  present  connection  has  almost  the  character  of  an  imperti- 
nence. No  attention  whatever  is  paid  to  it  in  what  follows,  save  that  the  thread 
of  discourse  in  24a  is  resumed  where  interrupted  (cf.  vs.  21).  The  obvious 
occasion  for  the  interpolation  (see  note  on  vv.  11-13)  fully  accounts  for  its 
origin. 

Jlnsertat  this  point  vv.  11-13,  and  translate  with  Kuenen  {Thcol.  Tijdschr. 
.XV.  p.  177)  "thou,  and  Aaron  with  thee,  and  the  priests;  but  let  not  the 
people,"  etc.  This  involves  no  change  in  the  original  text,  but  only  in  the 
Massoretic  accentuation.  This  sense  is  imperatively  required  by  vs.  22,  "the 
priests  which  come  near  to  Yahweh."     Cf.  also  x,xiv.     if.,  gf. 

§  Literally  "said  unto  them  ".  .  .  The  sentence  breaks  off  unfiTiished. 


104  EXODUS. 

§  IV.     Ex.  XX. — Num.  x.     Israel  at  Sinai. 

Prolkc.omkna. 

The  great  mass  of  this  section  is  formed  by  the  priestly 
legislation,  whose  foundation  is  the  sacred  Tabernacle  of  the 
Testimony,  built  at  Sinai  "  according  to  the  pattern  shown  in 
the  mount."  It  is  manifest  from  xxv.  i6,  21  ;  xxxi.  18  a  (P^) 
that  the  priestly  law-book  contained  its  own  version  of  the 
Ten  Words,  and  of  this  a  trace  perhaps  remains  in  xx.  11 
which  is  either  from  the  hand  of  P-  or  from  Rp.  But  the 
supreme  interest  of  this  document  is  the  institution  and  con- 
struction of  the  Tabernacle  ;  for  with  its  construction,  the 
preparation  of  its  furniture,  consecration  of  its  priesthood,  its 
occupation  by  the  Shekinah,  and  the  lighting  from  heaven  of  its 
fires  of  perpetual  sacrifice  the  worship  of  Israel  is  supposed 
to  begin.  Previously  there  is  no  trace  of  priest,  or  altar,  or 
ritual.  Only  in  the  narrative  of  JE  do  the  patriarchs  sacri- 
fice or  build  altars.  All  this  is  reserved  in  P  for  elaborate 
institution  by  divine  fiat  at  Sinai.  Now  with  what  laborious 
delight  does  the  priestly  author  set  himself  to  his  task  !  Every 
detail  of  the  Jerusalem  temple  and  its  elaborate  ritual  is  repro- 
duced on  a  scale  adapted  to  the  supposed  requirements  of  the 
wilderness.  Even  the  great  brazen  altar  which  Ahaz  had  built 
after  the  pattern  he  brought  from  Damascus  (II  Kings,  xvi. 
10-16)  must  have  its  counterpart  before  the  Tabernacle  of  the 
Congregation  ;  only,  as  adapting  it  for  transportation,  in  Exodus 
xxvii.  iff.,  it  is  to  be  made  of  wood  (!)  and  merely  overlaid 
with  brass.  The  author  carries  his  imitation  of  the  Jerusalem 
temple  in  the  arrangements  of  its  portable  counterpart  so  far  as 
to  speak  of  the  north,  south,  east  and  west  sides  of  the  Taber- 
nacle (xxvj.  18,  20,  22;  xxvii.  9,  iiff.,  etc.)  although  no  orienta- 
tion of  the  sacred  tent  is  anywhere  prescribed,  and  the  very 
terms  he  employs  ("  seaward  "  for  west,  "  desertward "  for 
south,  etc.)  prove  that  his  point  of  view  is  Palestine.  After 
describing  in  almost  incredibly  elaborate  detail  all  the  minutiae 
of  specifications  for  construction  in  chh.  xxv-xxxii.,  we  are 
treated  to    five  more  chapters    (xx.xv-xl.)    for  the    most    part 


ISRAEL  A  T  SINAI.  105 

verbally  identical  with  the  preceding,  only  turning  specifica- 
tions into  history  by  changing  "  Thou  shalt  make  "  to  "  and  he 
made."  In  justice  to  P^  it  should  be  added  that  the  testimony 
of  the  LXX.  proves  that  this  final  straw  of  tediousness  belongs  to 
some  other,  but  kindred  hand  (P^)  of  the  period  but  shortly 
preceding  the  LXX.  version  (200  b.  c).  After  the  erection  of 
the  Tabernacle  and  its  dedication,  by  the  incoming  of  the  cloud 
and  the  "  glory,"  (Ex.  xl.  34-38),  Moses  receives  elaborate 
directions  for  the  priestly  ceremonial,  including  the  various 
kinds  of  sacrifice,  consecration  of  the  priests,  Aaron  and  his 
sons,  the  law  of  clean  and  unclean  meats,  of  impurity,  of  lep- 
rosy, atonement ;  Lev.  i-xvi.  Hereafter  comes  a  body  of  laws 
semi-civil,  semi-ecclesiastical,  similar  in  character  and  style  to 
the  legislation  of  Ezekiel,  and  partaking  of  the  quasi-prophetic 
character  of  Deuteronomy.  This  primitive  code.  Lev.  xvii- 
xxvi.,  forms  the  real  nucleus  of  P^'s  work.  It  is  usually 
designated  H  [Hei/tgkeitsgesetz  "  Law  of  Holiness  ")  ;  but  with 
Kuenen  we  employ  the  sign  P\  Lev.  xxvii.  gives  the  law  of 
things  sanctified.  Num.  i-x.  10  contains  the  account  of  the 
census  preparatory  to  the  consecration  of  the  Levites,  together 
with  the  duties  of  the  latter,  the  law  of  defilement,  of  trespass, 
of  the  ordeal  of  the  water  of  jealousy,  of  the  Nazirite  vow,  and 
Aaronic  blessing,  the  offerings  of  the  12  princes  of  the  con- 
gregation (a  passage  of  6  verses  repeated  12  times  over  in 
identical  terms),  dedication  of  the  altar,  candlestick,  and  Levites 
(Aaron  and  his  sons  ^uave  the  22,000  Levites  before  Yahweh, 
Num.  viii.  21),  observance  of  the  second  passover,  appearance 
of  the  cloud  upon  the  Tabernacle  for  journeying  and  encamp- 
ment, and  construction  of  the  silver  trumpets.  All  this 
mass  of  priestly  ordinances  is  of  interest  only  to  the  spe- 
cialist, and  has  no  practical  relation  to  the  story.  Here  it  is 
accordingly  omitted,  although  the  older  portion  of  it  really  con- 
stitutes the  substance  of  P'^'s  work.  A  large  part,  however,  is 
from  P3.  We  confine  ourselves  to  the  mere  framework  of  P'-^'s 
narrative,  and  to  the  earlier  sources,  from  whose  graphic  story 
this  skeleton  of  history  is  derived.  Of  this  narrative  of  ^'^ 
there  is  in  §  IV.  but  the  trace  above  mentioned   in  Ex.  xx.  11  ; 


106  EXODUS. 

the  brief  account  of  the  appearance  of  the  cloud  and  Shekinah 
on  Sinai,  and  Moses'  ascent,  xxiv.  i6-i8a  ;  his  descent,  xxxi. 
i8  ;  and  a  trace  in  xxxii.  15,  added  to  by  P-  in  xxxiv.  29-35. 
Of  the  story  of  the  people's  apostasy  there  is,  as  we  should 
expect,  no  trace  in  P. 

Much  more  copious  is  the  narrative  of  E,  although  a  large 
part  of  the  material  seems  to  be  improperly  placed  at  this  point 
(chiefly  The  "  Book  of  Judgments,"  chh.  \xi.  i-xxiii.  9)  ;  and 
the  rest  has  suffered  alteration  of  the  order.  After  the  account 
of  the  utterance  from  the  mount  of  the  Ten  \\'ords,  the  divine 
Voice  addressing  the  people,  the  latter  withdraw  in  terror, 
entreating  Moses  to  go  near  and  hear  what  more  God  will  say  ; 
XX.  1-2 1.  Moses  approaches,  and  is  directed  to  return  to  the 
people  with  the  promise  of  God's  special  favor  if  they  are  obe- 
dient to  the  law.  The  people  promise  obedience,  and  Moses  so 
reports  to  God  ;  xix.  3b-8.  Yahweh  bids  him  come  up  into 
the  mount  and  remain  there  with  him.  God  will  give  him  the 
tables  of  stone  on  which  he  has  written  the  Ten  Words,  and 
will  teach  him  "  laws  and  commandments.''  Moses  and  Joshua 
accordingly  ascend  the  mount,  leaving  Aaron  and  Hur  in  charge 
of  the  people,  and  remain  there  40  days  ;  xxiv.  12-15,  ^^b.  In 
the  meantime  the  people,  impatient  at  the  delay,  prevail  upon 
Aaron  to  make  a  golden  calf  "  to  go  before  them  "  as  a  repre- 
sentation of  Yahweh,  who  "  brought  them  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Kgypt."  On  the  morrow  they  are  engaged  in  festivities  ;  xxxii. 
1-6.  The  same  day  God  delivers  to  Moses  the  tables  of  stone, 
of  divine  workmanship,  and  Moses  turns  to  descend  the  mount 
with  Joshua.  .Vpproaching  the  foot,  Joshua  observes  the 
clamor,  which  he  interprets  as  war,  but  Moses  discerns  to  be 
singing.  Arrived  in  view  of  the  proceedings  in  the  camp,  Moses 
in  wrath  dashes  the  tables  in  pieces,  grinds  the  calf  to  powder, 
and  makes  the  people  drink  water  mixed  with  its  dust.  He 
reproaches  Aaron,  who  makes  a  lame  excuse  ;  xxxi.  i8b  ;  xxxii. 
15  m  i)arl,  16-24.  On  the  morrow  Moses  goes  uj)  to  make 
atonement,  and  pleads  with  Yahweh  to  forgive  the  peoi)le. 
^'ahweh  grants  a  suspension  of  punishment,  but  dismisses  the 
people  from  his  presence,  granting  angelic    guidance,  but  jjre- 


ISRAEL  A  T  SINAI.  107 

dieting  a  day  of  visitation  ;  xxxii.  30-34.  On  hearing  these 
evil  tidings  the  people  mourn,  and  strip  themselves  of  their 
ornaments  ;  xxxiii.  4,  6.  [Yahweh  observes  the  repentance  of 
the  people,  and  provides  a  substitute  for  the  covenant  already- 
broken  before  its  ratification.  Of  the  ornaments  stripped  off  in 
penitence  Moses  shall  prepare  a  Tent  of  Meeting  for  worship 
and  intercourse  with  Yahweh,  but  "  without  the  camp."  For 
the  ordering  of  this  worship  Yahweh  furnishes  a  new  code  of 
ritual  law  followed  by  promises  in  case  of  obedience.  These 
Words  of  the  Covenant  Moses  is  to  write  and  deposit  in  an 
ark  of  shittim-wood  in  the  Tent  of  Meeting.]  The  Words  of 
the  Covenant  consist  of  (five  ?)  ritual  laws  concerning,  I.  Mode 
of  worship  :  altars,  sacrifices  and  the  like  ;  II.  Sabbaths  ;  weekly 
and  yearly  ;  III.  Feasts  :  of  Unleavened  bread,  of  Harvest,  and 
of  Ingathering  ;  IV.  Sacred  things  to  be  presented  in  offering  ; 
firstlings  and  first  fruits  ;  V.  Abominable  things  to  be  avoided. 
It  is  substantially  the  same  code  which  in  Ex.  xxxiv.  10-27  (J) 
is  called  "  The  Words  of  the  Covenant,  the  Ten  Words  ;  "  xx.  22 
-26  ;  xxiii.  10-19.  This  is  followed  by  (five  ?)  promises  :  Yah- 
weh is  sending  his  angel  before  the  people  to  bring  them  into 
the  promised  land.  Obedience  to  his  command  will  ensure  ;  I. 
the  help  of  Yahweh  against  all  adversaries  ;  II.  a  blessing  upon 
the  bread  and  water  of  the  people  and  continual  health  ;  III. 
fruitfulness  and  long  life  ;  IV.  the  hornet  to  go  before  Israel 
and  gradually  drive  out  the  Amorite  from  the  land  ;  V.  posses- 
sion of  the  land  in  its  ideal  extent  ;  xxiii.  20-33.  (S^b — 33  =  Rd). 
This  (second)  covenant  between  Yahweh  and  the  people  is  im- 
mediately ratified  with  solemn  ceremonies,  in  which  Moses  acts 
as  hierophant,  and  "  young  men  "  as  priests  ;  xxiv.  3-8.  [Moses 
deposits  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  as  directed  in  the  ark  of 
God  in  the  Tent  of  Meeting.]  At  this  juncture  Jethro  appears, 
bringing  the  wife  and  sons  of  Moses,  and  is  hospitably  received. 
On  learning  of  the  providence  of  God  with  the  people  he  cele- 
brates a  sacrificial  feast  with  Moses,  Aaron,*  and  the  elders  of 
Israel  "before  God  "  ;  xviii.  1-12  for  the  most  part. 

*  The  reappearance  of  Aaron  here  in  a  passage  necessarily  subsequent  (c£. 
vs.  16  and  23)  to  the  story  of  the  golden  calf,  as  if  in  the  same  favor  as  ever,  is 
one  of  the  things  which  give  color  to  the  theory  of  Kuenen,  Cornill  and  others. 


108  EXODUS. 

On  the  morrow  Jethro  observes  the  inabihty  of  Moses  to 
administer  the  entire  government  of  the  people,  and  counsels 
him  "If  God  direct  him  so  "  to  appoint  judges  and  officers, 
himself  only  acting  in  the  ultimate  appeal  in  bringing  the  causes 
to  God.  After  adopting  this  advice  Moses  takes  leave  of  his 
father-in-law,  who  departs  to  his  own  land  ;  xviii.  13-27. 

As  a  preliminary  to  the  narrative  introducing  another  and 
kindred  institution  the  author  relates  the  practise  of  Moses  in 
regard  to  the  sacred  Tent,  which  he  pitched  "  without  the 
camp "  and  called  "  the  Tent  of  Meeting."  When  Moses 
entered  it  the  people  stood  in  reverence.  Within,  the  pillar  of 
cloud  descended  in  the  sight  of  the  people,  "stood  at  the  door 
of  the  Tent  and  [God]  spake  with  Moses."  Joshua  remained 
permanently  in  charge  of  the  Tent  ;  xxxiii.  7-1 1.  [In  response 
to  Moses'  complaint  of  too  great  burdens  ?  ]  Yahweh 
instructs  Moses  to  gather  70  elders  of  the  people  to  the  Tent 
of  Meeting,  where  he  will  equip  them  with  the  prophetic  spirit. 
Moses  does  so,  and  the  70  men  fall  into  the  prophetic  ecstasy 
when  the  spirit  rests  upon  them.  Two,  however,  who  were  of 
the  70  but  had  not  gone  out,  "prophesy  "  in  the  camp.  When 
this  is  reported  to  Moses  in  the  Tent  Joshua  is  jealous,  and  would 
forbid  them  ;  but  Moses  nobly  desires  only  that  all  Yahweh's 
people  might  have  the  gift ;  Num.  xi.  i6f.,  24-30.  Hereupon 
follows  originally  the  story  of  the  murmuring  of  Miriam 
and  Aaron  against  Moses'  "  Cushite  "  wife  ;  Num.  xii  ;  and, 
after  the  departure  from  Horeb,  the  story  of  the  conflict  with 
Amalek  ;  Ex.  xvii.  8-16.     (See  above  Analysis  2  of  §  III.) 

The  narrative  of  J  was  interrupted  in  g  III.  at  the  point  where 
preparation  had  just  been  made  for  Moses,  Aaron  and  "  the 
priests  "  to  ascend  Mount  Sinai,  every  other  living  thing  being 
barred  away  "  lest  Yahweh  should  break  forth  upon  them."  In 
xxiv.  I  we  resume  the  thread  almost  exactly  at  the  point  where 

that  in  Ex.  x.xxii.  we  have  mainly  an  E'^,  later  than  the  deportation  of  Ephraim ; 
cf.  xxxii.  34.  Into  this  possible  distinction  of  E- from  E,  we  do  not  care  to 
enter.  Ch.  xviii.  in  any  case  belongs  to  the  oldest  portions  of  E.  This  older 
portion  might  also  include  xxiv.  11,  which  we  are  perhaps  overbold  in  assign- 
ing to  J.     In  that  case  it  doubtless  followed  after  xx.  1-2 1. 


ISRAEL  A  T  SINAI.  109 

broken  off.  Here,  in  addition  to  Aaron  and  "  the  priests  " 
(Nadab  and  Abihu),  70  elders  are  permitted  to  come  up  with 
Moses  and  partake  of  a  covenant  meal  with  God  ;  xxiv.  if.,  9- 
II.  Thereafter  Yahweh  gives  special  instructions  to  Moses. 
He  must  be  ready  by  the  morning  with  two  stone  tables  [and 
an  ark  of  shittim-wood  to  contain  them]  and  come  up  entirely 
alone,  all  the  former  precautions  being  taken  against  the  intru- 
sion of  any  living  thing.  Moses  ascends  in  the  morning,  carry- 
ing the  tables  he  has  hewn  out.  Yahweh  appears  in  a  theoph- 
any  and  offers  to  make  a  Covenant.  The  "  Ten  Words  "  of  this 
covenant  are  the  same,  save  for  slight  differences  of  form,  with 
those  of  the  second  law  of  E.  Moses  remains  40  days  on  Mount 
Sinai,  engaged  in  engraving  them  upon  the  stone  tables  ;  xxxiv. 
1-28,  for  the  most  part.  Yahweh  now  bids  Moses  descend, 
because  the  people  are  in  revolt.  During  his  absence  a  mutiny 
has  taken  place  in  the  camp  ;  xxxii.  7-14.  Moses  arrives  at 
the  gate  of  the  camp,  and,  seeing  the  disorder,  summons  to  his 
aid  the  tribe  of  Levi,  who  suppress  the  rebellion  with  the 
sword.  For  this  act  of  loyalty  to  Yahweh  they  are  rewarded 
with  the  priesthood,  but  "  Yahweh  smote  the  people  ;  "  xxxii. 
25-29,  35a.  Yahweh  bids  Moses,  *'  Depart,  thou  and  the  peo- 
ple which  thou  hast  brought  up  "  to  the  promised  land  ;  but 
refuses  to  go  among  them  because  of  their  insubordination  ; 
xxxiii.  1-3.  Moses  expostulates  with  Yahweh  against  his  lay- 
ing all  the  burden  of  the  people  upon  his  shoulders  ;  Num.  xi. 
10  in  part,  iif.,  i4f.  After  long  pleading  Yahweh  consents  that 
his  Presence  shall  precede  the  people  and  give  them  an  abiding- 
place.  As  a  signal  token  of  his  reconciliation  he  grants  Moses 
the  privilege  of  beholding  his  "  glory."  Moses  is  encouraged 
to  ask  the  complete  withdrawal  of  Yahweh's  refusal  to  go  "in 
the  midst"  of  Israel  [Yahweh  agrees  to  dwell  without  the  camp 
and  directs  the  preparation  of  the  sacred  Tent]  ;  Ex.  xxxiii. 
12-23;  xxxiv.  6-9.  Hobab,  Moses'  father-in-law,  visits  the 
camp;  Ex.  xviii.  7-11,  (traces). 

All  this  material  of  J,  E,  and  P  has  undergone  successive 
readjustment  by  Rje,  Rd,  (who  seems  to  have  removed  the 
Book  of  Judgments  from  the  present  position  of  Deuteronomy 


110  EXODUS. 

to  the  position  it  now  occupies,  and  to  have  addt  i  certain 
characteristic  interpolations)  and  Rp. ,  The  final  recasting  has 
of  course  broken  the  lines  of  the  original  units  and  so  adjusted 
the  material  to  new  conceptions  as  to  make  it  difficult,  without 
altering  the  order  of  passages  to  effect  our  usual  subdivision. 
Accommodating  ourselves  as  far  as  possible  to  Rp's  point  of 
view,  we  make  the  following  classification  of  the  material. 


I.  Chh.  xx-xxiii.     The  First  Covenant  at  HokEB. 

ANALYSIS. 

In  these  four  chapters,  often  designated,  through  a  misapplication  of 
xxiv.  7,  "  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,"  we  have  no  trace  of  more  than  a 
single  source,  which,  with  only  a  single  exception  among  critics  of  note, 
is  positively  identified  as  E,  *  and  it  is  the  less  needful  to  enter  into  any 
extended  proof  that  the  material  is  in  reality  derived  wholly  from  this 
document  in  view  of  the  thorough  work  of  Budde  on  these  chh.,  in  Z.  A. 
W.  xi.  i.  We  need  only  refer  here  to  the  manifest  traces  of  E,  in  the 
language  and  style  (see  refs.)  ;  the  exclusive  use  of  Elohim  throughout  the 
Ten  Words  (xx.  1-21)  and  Book  of  Judgments  (xxi.  6,  13  ;  xxii.  8,  9  bis, 
II  (LXX.),  28)  save  in  xxii.  20,  where  it  was  impossible  ;  the  connection  of 
this  code  with  ch.  xviii.  and  xxiv.  12  ;  the  parallel  in  J's  "  Words  of  the 
Covenant  (xxxiv.  10-27)  to  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  (xx.  22-26;  xxiii 
10-33)  ;  the  connection  of  the  latter  at  the  beginning  with  Dt.  xxvii.  4-6 
(E  ;  cf.  Ex.  xx.  23ff.)  and  at  the  end  with  xxxii.  34,  (E  ;  cf.  xxiii.  20),  and 
xxiv.  3-8  ;  its  use  of  "  the  Amorite  "  (see  note  on  xxiii.  28)  generically 
for  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan  ;  finally  in  xxiv.  3-8  the  altar  and  ma^qeboth 
(cf.  Dt.  xxvii,  i-8)  ;  disappearance  of  the  "  priests  "  of  xix.  22,  24  (J) ;  and 
the  part  taken  by  the  people  m  the  covenant  ;  cf.  xix.  7f ;  ct.  J.  passim. i 

*  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  singular  exception  which  must  be  made  in 
the  case  of  so  careful  a  scholar  as  Canon  Driver  ;  yet  in  his  Introd.  to  Lit.  of 
the  O.  Test.  p.  2gii.,  he  a.ssigns  xx.  22-xxiii.  33;  xxiv.  3-8  to  J  (!).  Is  not  this 
an  oversight  due  to  dependence  on  Wellhausen  ( 1876),  and  failure  to  observe 
Wellhausen's  retraction  of  the  opinion  as  untenable  [Comp.  p.  327.— 1889)  in 
his  reply  to  the  objections  of  Kuenen  ?  The  same  oversight  appears  in 
Baentzsch  Biiudesbuch,  p.  73. 

t  The  important  work  of  B.  Baentzsch  above  referred  to,  Das  Bumiesbuch, 
Halle  1892  has  come  to  me  too  late  to  he  adequately  treated.  For  many  points 
of  coincidence  with  my  own  analysis,  such   as  the  distinction  between  the  De- 


THE  FIRST  COVENANT  AT  HOREB.  Ill 

While  there  can  really  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  material  of  this  sub- 
section is  exclusively  derived  from  E,  it  is  equally  certain  that  we  have 
not  here  a  single  extract  made  at  one  time  from  this  document.  On  the 
contrary  the  opinion  of  critics  is  unanimous  that  the  present  order  and 
connection  cannot  possibly  be  original.  Chh.  xxi.  f.  constitute  a  thor- 
oughly unique,  and  unquestionably  ancient  collection  of  case  law.  It  is 
a  series  of  precedents  in  supposititious  cases  for  the  administration  of  jus- 
tice, and  has  an  appropriate  title  of  its  own:  "  These  are  the  judgments  " 
{inishpatini),  i.  c,  legal  precedents  for  the  guidance  of  the  judges  (xviii. 
21-26)  in  most  cases.  It  is  not  only  very  strange  that  any  original  writer 
should  think  of  connecting  this  body  of  case  law  with  the  solemn  ethical 
and  religious  principles  proclaimed  to  all  the  people  in  ch.  xx.,  but  it  is 
quite  impossible  that  they  should  be  included  in  the  conditions  of 
Yahweh's  covenant  with  the  people  (xxiv.  3-8)  ;  for  how  can  the  people 
promise  to  do  the  "  judgments,"  e.  g.  those  relating  to  injuries  to  property 
and  person  ?  As  a  matter  of  fact,  although  in  xxiv.  3a  the  words  "  and 
all  the  judgments"  are  inserted  by  Rd  (see  note  in  loc.),  in  vs.  3b  they 
are  wanting,  and  the  people  promise  obedience  only  to  "the  words  of 
Yahweh."  But  furthermore  it  is  the  object  of  Moses'  40  days'  stay  upon 
the  mount  (xxiv.  12-15,  '^b)  that  he  might  receive  "the  law  and  the  com- 
mandment," and  Dt:  v.  30-vi.  i  shows  that  in  that  writers  understand- 
ing "  the  commandments  and  the  statutes  and  the  judgments,"  which 
Moses  was  then  instructed  in,  were  not  promulgated  until  at  the  end  of 
Moses'  life.  In  any  case  in  xxiv.  12  they  are  still  to  come.  The  mish- 
patim  accordingly  really  belong  in  a  much  later  position.  In  fact  if  we 
look  closely  at  Ex.  xxiv.  1 2  we  shall  see  that  it  has  been  altered  to  admit 
of  the  insertion  of  the  "  Book  of  Judgments  "  before  it.  What  the 
original  writer  unquestionably  intended  to  say  was  that  God  had  written 
the  Ten  Words  on  the  tables  of  stone  which  he  would  give  to  Moses  (cf. 
xxxi.  18  ;  x.xxii.  isf.),  and  that  he  would  give  him  in  addition  "  laws  and 
commandments  that  thou  mayest  teach  them,"  cf.  Dt.  v.  31.  These 
"  statutes  and  laws  of  God  "  we  find  Moses  actually  engaged  in  teaching  in 
xviii.  16,  a  passage  which,  as  already  pointed  out,  should  come  after  ch. 

barim  and  Mishpatim  :  the  demonstration,  p.  7of.,  that  the  Mishpatim  cannot 
originally  have  stood  between  chh.  xx.  and  xxiv.  and  are  not  adapted  to  form 
part  of  a  covenant  (xxiv.  3,  "  and  all  the  judgments  "  being  attributed  to  R);  the 
recognition  that  the  Ten  Words  must  be  younger  than  the  Words  of  the  Cove- 
nant because  abstract  and  general  (p.  96f.)  and  that  ch,  xxxiv=J,  I  am  grateful. 
Unfortunately  the  main  contentions  of  the  book  I  am  unable  to  admit,  and  with 
all  the  good  will  in  the  world  I  have  found  nothing  to  alter  in  my  own  manu- 
script after  a  thorough  study  of  Baentzsch. 


112  EXODUS. 

xxxiv.  But  xxiv.  12,  now  reads  :  "  1  will  give  thee  the  tables  of  stone, 
and  the  law  and  the  commandment  which  I  have  written,  that  thou 
mayest  teach  them."  It  is  obvious  that  the  words  "  which  I  have  w-rit- 
ten  "  ought  to  apply  only  to  "  the  tables  of  stone,"  and  hence  should  fol- 
low immediately  thereupon.  But  when  the  transposition  is  effected  we 
see  a  new  light,  a  light  incompatible  with  present  arrangements.  "  The 
laws  and  commandments,"  instead  of  being  already  given  are  j-////  to  cojue 
and  it  is  the  object  of  Moses'  40  days'  sojourn  in  the  mount  to  be  instructed 
in  them.  Therefore  until  this  slight  change  of  order  in  xxiv.  12  was 
made,  there  was  no  room  for  the  Book  of  Judgments  before  it.  We 
have  already  seen  that  the  change  was  subsequent  to  the  writing  of  Dt. 
v.  3off.  The  inference  must  be  that  our  Deuteronomy  has  crowded  out 
the  "  Book  of  Judgments,"  which  then  had  to  obtain  the  best  place  it 
could  in  the  Horeb  legislation,  Rd  adjusting  xxiv.  3  and  12  to  admit  it. 

The  Ten  Words,  xx.  1-17,  like  all  the  older  legislative  material,  are 
drastically  worked  over  and  interpolated  by  Rd,  but  are  of  course  in  place, 
as  they  join  directly  upon  xix.  19.  The  same  is  true  in  my  opinion, 
critics  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  of  vv.  18-21  (see  note  iji  loc.) ; 
'out  the  remainder  of  the  "  Book  of  the  Covenant  "  together  with  the 
story  of  its  ratification  must  find  a  place  elsewhere.  Ch.  xxiv.  i2ff.  can- 
not be  so  long  deferred  from  its  true  connection  with  xx.  1-2 1,  (cf.  Dt. 
v.)  ;  but  the  decisive  indication  of  displacement  appears  in  the  fact  that 
the  intrusive  material  itself  bears  the  mark  of  its  original  position.  In 
xxiii.  2off.,  "  Behold  I  am  sending,"  we  stand  immediately  before  Israel's 
departure.  We  are  tempted  to  see  the  influence  of  the  people's  apostasy 
in  vs.  21,  (cf.  XX.  23),  and  in  the  following  verses  the  thought  is  fixed  ex- 
clusively upon  the  journey  about  to  be  resumed  and  the  conquest  of 
Palestine.  The  next  paragraph,  xxiv.  3-8,  with  its  story  of  the  erection 
of  the  altar  and  twelve  "  pillars  "  is  more  naturally  understood  if  the 
scene  is  now  to  be  forsaken.  This  passage  accordingly  describes  the 
final  ratification  of  the  covenant,  without  which  Israel  could  not  be  sup- 
posed to  proceed  upon  their  journey.  It  distinctly  marks  the  conclusion 
of  the  covenant  transactions  at  Horeb.  The  "  book  "  {i.  e.  writing)  of  the 
covenant  therefore  does  not  include  the  "  Judgments,"  but  is  just  what  its 
name  implies,  the  reciprocal  promise  of  the  people  to  worship  Yahweh 
according  to  certain  stipulated  rites,  and  of  Yahweh  to  bless  the  people  in 
certain  specified  ways.  The  requirements  which  this  Book  of  the  Cove- 
nant makes  of  the  people  are  substantially  identical  with  those  of  the 
'•  Words  of  the  Covenant,"  which  in  the  parallel  account  of  J  (ch.  xxxiv.) 
Moses  wrote  at  the  divine  dictation  on  tables  of  stone.  The  significant 
difference  in  attitude  toward  this    fundamental  ritual   law  is  that  m  E, 


XX.  lo.  T}IE  FIRST  COVENANT  AT  HOREB.  113 

it  is  based  upon  a  voluntary  compact  by  the  people  ;  in  J  it  is  enacted  by 
divine  "  favor." 

Omitting  the  Book  of  Judgments,  the  residuum  which  constitutes  the 
original  Book  of  the  Covenant  consists  of  Ex.  xx.  22-26;  xxiii.  10-33. 
Like  the  Ten  Words  (where  the  LXX.  shows  the  process  of  conformation 
to  Dt.  V.  still  going  on  in  the  third  century  B.  C),  and  like  all  the 
Jehovistic  legislative  material,  it  has  suffered  severely  from  interpolation 
as  well  as  from  its  displacement.  In  xxiii.  14-19  especially,  where  it 
originally  must  have  been  substantially  the  same  as  Ex.  xxxiv.  18-26,  the 
resemblance  has  been  heightened  by  introducing  in  the  E  version  clauses 
and  terms  from  its  parallel.  (See  note  hi  loc.  and  cf.  the  similar  treat- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  Matt,  and  Luke.  For  full  treatment  of 
the  relation  between  the  "  Words  of  the  Covenant  "  (J)  and  the  "  Book 
of  the  Covenant  "  see  Art.  iv.).  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  from  the  story 
of  the  Apostasy  on,  the  material  of  E  becomes  less  exclusively  Elohistic, 
the  use  of  Elohim  disappearing  save  in  the  most  unmistakably  antique 
fragments  such  as  the  Visit  of  Jethro,  Battle  with  Amalek  ("  rod  of 
Elohim"  occurs  once),  Song  of  Balaam  (in  part)  and  Book  of  Judg- 
ments.    Otherwise  Elohim  occurs  only  in  a  few  isolated  cases. 


(E)  lAnd  (lod  spake  all  these  words,  saying,  20 

I  ^am  Yahweh    thy  God,    ^which  brought    thee  out  of  the 

land  of  Egypt,  *out  of  the  house  of  bondage. 

Thou  shalt  have  none  other  Gods  before  me.  3 

(Rd)  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  a  graven  image,  nor  [the    4 
likeness  of]  any  form  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or   that  is    in  the  earth   be- 
neath, or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the  earth  :  ^thou  shalt  not  bow  down  thy-     5 
self  unto  them,  nor  serve  them  :  for  I  Yahweh  thy  Ciod  am  «a  jealous  God, 
■^visiting  the  iniquity  of    the  fathers    upon  the  children,  upon    the  third  and 
upon  the  fourth  generation  of  them  that  hate  me  ;  and  shewing  mercy  unto     6 
thousands,  of  them  that  love  me  and  keep  my  commandments.  ' 

(E)  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  Yahweh  thy  God   in    7 
(Rd)  vain  ;   for  Yahweh  will  not  hold  him  guiltless  that  taketh  his  name 
in  vain. 

(E)    Remember     the    sabbath     day,    to     keep     it     holy.    8 

(Rd)  s.Six   days    shalt    thou     labor,    and    do    all    thy  work;    but     the    9-IO 

iCf.  34  :  10-27  :  Dt.  5  ;  1-21.  23  ;  13.  a,,  •  ^  .  Hos.  13  :  4.  ■'Jos.  24  :  17  (LXX).  ^23  :  34 ; 
Jos.  23  :  7.  'Jos.  24  :  19  ;  cf.  34  :  14.  ''Cf.  34  :  7  ;  Num.  14  :  18,  33.  ''23  :  12. 


lU  EXOVUS.  XX.  II. 

seventh  day  is  a  sabbath  uiUo  Yahweh  thy  God  :  [in  it]  thou  shalt  not  do 
any  work,  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy  manservant,  nor  thy 
maidservant,  nor    thy  cattle,  nor   ^thy   stranger  that    is    within    thy   gates : 

11  (P)  ^^for  i/i  six  c/ays  Yahweh  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea, 
and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  rested  the  seventh  day  :  wherefore 
Yahweh  blessed  the  sabbath  day,  and  hallowed  it. 

12  (E)  (Rd)  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother  ;  "that  thy  days 
may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  Yahweh  thy  God  giveth  thee. 

13  (E)  Thou  shalt  do  no  murder. 

14  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery. 

15  Thou  shalt  not  steal. 

16  i-Thou  shalt  not  bear    false  witness  against  thy  neighbor. 

17  (Rd)Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  ^^house,  thou  shalt 
not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife,  "nor  his  manservant,  nor  his  maidservant, 
nor  his  ox,  nor  his  ass,  nor  anything  that  is  thy  neighbor's.* 

18  (E)  '^And  all  the  people  saw  the  thunderings,  and  the 
lightnings,  and  the  voice  of  the  trumpet,  if-and  the  mountain 
smoking:  and    when    the   people   saw    it,  they    trembled,  and 

19  stood  afar  off.  x\nd  they  said  unto  Moses,  Speak  thou  with 
us,  and  we  will  hear  :  but  let  not  God  speak  with  us,  lest  we 

20  die.  And  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  Fear  not :  for  God  is 
come  to  ^'prove  you,  and  that  ^^his    fear  may  be  before  you, 

°Dt.  14  :  2i,27-2g  ;  31  :  12,  etc.  '"Gen.  2  :  1-3.  "01.11:9:25:15.  '^23:1.  '^Gen.  15  : 
2.  '*Vs.  10.  '^19  :  16  ;  Dt.  5  :  23-27.  '"19  :  18.  '"Gen.  22  :  i  ;  42  :  16  ;  E.\.  15  :  25  ;  16  :  4. 
'*Gen.  20  :  II  ;  42  :  19  ;  E.\.  2  :  17. 

*  Critics  generally  maintain  that  the  original  form  of  the  "  Ten  Words  "  was 
such  as  their  Hebrew  name  "  Words  "  perhaps  implies,  viz.,  brief  commands 
similar  to  vv.  13-16,  the  disproportionate  length  of  the  second,  third,  fourth, 
fifth  and  tenth  being  caused  by  redactional  supplementation.  This  view  is  sus- 
tained by  the  looseness  of  connection  of  the  expansions.  Observe  c.  g.  the 
ungrammatical  attachment  of  4b,  to  4a.  "  House  "  ni  vs.  17a  is  comprehensive 
of  all  the  enumerated  objects  in  17b  (cf.  Gen.  xv.  2  ;  Ex.  i.  21;  Job.  viii.  15). 
For  an  excellent  discussion  of  the  original  form  and  the  possible  share  of  E  in 
the  elaboration  of  the  "  W^ords  "  see  Driver, /«^;W.  p.  30.  Whether  or  not 
the  original  document  intended  a  division  into  two  "  tables,"  one  prescribing 
religious  duties  (pictas)  the  other  duties  to  the  community  [probitas)  is  a  ques- 
tion to  be  decided  by  comparison  with  contemporary  literature.  If,  as  seems 
probable,  each  "  table"  contained  a  pentad  (so  Philo,  Josephus  and  others)  the 
original  length  cannot  have  been  so  disproportionate  as  now. 


XX.  26.  THE  FIRST  CO  V EN  ANT  A  T  HOREB.  115 

that  ye  sin  not.     And  the  people  stood  afar  off,  and   Moses  21 
drew  near  unto  the  ^^thick  darkness  where  God  was.* 

(E)— [  .  .  .  ]  And  f  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Thus  thou  22 
shalt  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  -^Ye   yourselves  have 
seen  that  I  have  "^Halked  with  you    from  heaven.     "^^Ye  shall  23 
not  make  [other   gods]  with    me  ;  ^^gods    of  silver,  or   gods 
of  gold,  ye  shall  not   make    unto  you.     An    altar    of  "-^^earth  24 
thou  shalt  make  unto    me,  ^^and  shalt    sacrifice  thereon  thy 
burnt  offerings,  and  thy  peace  offerings,  thy  sheep,  and  thine 
oxen  :  ^in  every  place  where  I  record  my  name  I  will  come 
unto  thee  and  I  will  bless  thee.     '^'And  if  thou  make  me  an  25 
altar  of  stone,  thou  shalt  not  build  it  of  hewn  stones  :  for  if 
thou  lift  up  thy  tool  upon  it,  thou  hast  polluted  it.     ^sNeither  26 


1919:9.  2»Cf.  19:4.  2iGen.  21  :  17  ;  22:11.  '"ao  :  3  ;  34:  14.  ''^20:  4  ;  34  :  i?- 
2<II  Kings,  5:17;  Ct.  27  :  if.  "24  :  5  ;  31  :  6  ;  Dt.  27  :  6f.  2«Ct.  Lev.  17  :  8f. ;  Dt.  12  :  6, 11, 
etc.  "Dt.  27  :  5f.;  Jos.  8  :  31.    "SCt.  27  :  i  ;  Lev.  9  :  22. 

*  Vv.  18-21  are  not  necessarily  displaced  from  after  xix.  19  (Kuen.  Jiil. 
Well.  Bud.),  and  the  evidence  from  Dt.  v.,  so  far  from  supporting  this  view, 
■goes  to  show  that  in  the  time  of  Dp  these  verses  occupied  their  present  posi- 
tion (cf.  especially  Dt.  v.  23ff.,  and  see  Art.  iv).  It  is  perhaps  not  claiming  too 
much  to  say  with  Prof.  W.  H.  Greene  {Hebraica  viii.  p.  45)  that  in  vs.  19  the 
people  have  no  occasion  to  suppose  God  intends  to  speak  to  them,  unless  vv. 
1-17  have  preceded.  A  stronger  objection  to  the  proposed  transposition  ap- 
pears in  the  fact  that  the  pains  taken  to  impress  the  moral  law  as  expressed 
in  the  Ten  Words  upon  the  people  by  their  actually  hearing  it  pronounced  by 
God's  voice  as  arranged  in  xix.  9,  are  then  thrown  away,  since  the  people 
remove  out  of  hearing  before  the  utterance  takes  place.  In  vs.  i8b  read  with 
LXX.,  "  And  the  people  were  afraid,  and  "  in  place  of,  "  And  when  the  people 
saw  it."  The  mediatorial  position  assumed  by  Moses  in  vs.  21  seems  to  be 
the  indispensable  antecedent  to  the  scene  of  xix.  3-8  ;  cf.  Dt.  v.  A  touch  of 
Rje's  hand  appears  in  vs.  i8a  looking  back  to  xix.  18. 

t  The  various  theories  of  a  fourth  source  broached  by  Wellhausen,  Kuenen 
and  Bruston  {Les  deux  Jehovistes,  Rev.  de  Theol.  et  Phil.  1882)  are  uncalled  for. 
The  Book  of  the  Covenant,  which  begins  here  (see  Analysis),  is  the  only  coz>enant 
at  Horeb  mentioned  in  E,  unless  the  promise  in  xix.  8  be  so  regarded,  in  which 
case  the  covenant  here  (vv.  22-26 :  xxiii.  10-33)  is  a  second,  made  ^^'^''  ^^^ 
violation  of  the  first.  In  either  case  vv.  22-26 ;  xxiii.  10-33  with  their  sequel 
xxiv.  3-8  must  come  after  xxxii.  30-34.  The  introductory  clauses  in  vs.  22 
have  perhaps  been  retouched  by  Rd. 


116  EXODUS.  XXI.  I. 

shalt  thou  go  up  by  steps  unto  mine  altar  ;  -'that  thy  naked- 
ness be  not  discovered  thereon.* 
21       (E) — [  .  .  .  ]  ^Now    these    are   the     judgments  f    which 
thou  shalt  set  before  them. 
2       If  thou  buy  an  Hebrew  servant,  -six  years  he  shall  serve  : 

2'»2S  :  42f.     »24  :  12  ;i8  :  15-26 ;  Dt.  5  :  31  ;  4  :  14  ;  6 :  1.    2,3  ;  jof. 

*  In  the  interest  of  the  traditional  theory  it  is  sometimes  denied  that  the 
above  provision  for  sacrifice  by  private  individuals  in  various  places  is  in  con- 
flict with  the  Ueuteronomic  restriction  of  sacrifice  to  Jerusalem  only,  and  to  ihe 
Levitical  priesthood  ;  or  that  it  conflicts  with  the  priestly  centralization  of  the 
whole  ceremonial  at  the  temple  and  limitation  of  sacrifice  to  the  Aanviic 
priesthood.  The  legislation  must  be  interpreted  by  the  history  (see  my 
"  Genesis  of  Genesis,"  pp.  soff).  Previous  to  the  reformation  of  Josiah,  620  B. 
C,  the  invariable  representation  of  all  the  historical  books,  including  the  nar- 
ratives of  the  patriarchs,  is  that  altars  of  stone  and  earth  were  erected  in  honor 
of  Yahweh  all  over  the  land,  "  in  every  place  where  he  caused  his  name  to  be 
remembered,"  by  those  who  were  most  anxious  to  please  him  ;  and  moreover 
that  Yahweh  did  "come  unto  them  and  bless  them  "  at  these  sanctuaries  (cf. 
e.  s;.  I  Kgs.  iii.  4ff ).  It  is  impossible  to  deny  that  vs.  25  contemplates  various  al- 
tars, as  much  as  vs.  24  does  various  places,  to  which  Yahweh  will  come  to  meet  the 
(lay)  worshipper,  not  the  w/f  sanctuary  of  the  tabernacle  (and  temple)  where  he 
abides.  Hence  to  Elijah(I  Kgs.  xix.  10)  it  is  impious  to  overthrow^  these  altars  ; 
but  to  the  Deuteronomist  the  reverse  (II  Kgs.  xxiii.  15,  igf).  Thus  although  the 
iconoclastic  zeal  of  Josiah  and  his  followers  destroyed  the  old  places  of  worship  it 
could  not  entirely  obliterate  from  the  literature  the  traces  of  the  older  ])ractise 
and  older  law.  The  treatment  of  the  altar  as  an  actual  representative  of  Yahweh 
in  vv.  25f.  agrees  with  the  language  of  E  in  Gen.  xxxiii.  20;  xxxv,  7;  Ex. 
xxiv.  6.  The  object  of  vs.  26  is  met  in  the  priestly  legislation  by  a  different 
provision.     Cf.  xxviii.  42  ;  xxxix.  28  ;  Lev.  vi.  10  ;  xvi.  4. 

t  The  code  of  precedents  in  law  here  entitled  "  The  judgments  "  [mislipatiin) 
has  been  incorporated  by  E,  from  unquestionably  ancient  material.  Its  origi- 
nal position  in  the  Y.  document  would  appear  to  have  been  after  Dt.  i.-iii. 
and  just  before  Dt.  xxvii.  1-8  (cf  Jos.  viii.  30-35).  See  Kuenen's  argument 
(Hex.  §13.  n.  32)  as  to  Ex.  xx.  22-xxiv.  8.  That  Dt.  xxvii.  1-8  in  its  original 
form  had  to  do  with  the  original  Book  of  Judgments,  and  was  based  upon  the 
actual  existence  of  sIcItk.  in  Shechem  in  E's  time,  making  public  the  general 
principles  of  common  law,  would  be  perhaps  too  bold  a  conjecture;  but  at 
least  it  is  far  more  easily  conceivable  of  the  brief  Hook  of  Judgments  than  of 
the  elaborate y^^/fcm  expansion  of  Ex.  xx.-xxiii.  which  constitutes  our  Deuteron- 
omy. The  code  although  very  ancient  presupposes  an  agricultural  and  settled 
community  (xxi.  6  ;  xxii.  2,  5-7).  It  obviously  rests  upon  a  basis  of  consuetu- 
dinary law. 


XXI.  H.         THE  FIRST  COVENANT  AT  HOREB.  117 

and  in  the  seventh  he  shall  go   out   free  for    nothing.     If  he    3 
come  in    by  himself,  he    shall  go    out   by   himself  :  if  he    be 
^married,  then  his  wife  shall  go  out  with  him.     If  his  master    4 
give  him  a  wife,  and  she    bear  him    sons  or  daughters  ;  the 
wife  and  her  children  shall  be    her  master's,  and  he  shall  go 
out  by  himself.     But  if   the  servant  shall  plainly  say,  I  love    5 
my    master,  my  wife,  and    my  children  ;  I  will    not    go    out 
free  :  then  his  master  shall  *bring  him  unto  God,  and    shall    6 
bring  him  to  the  door,  or  unto  the  doorpost  ;  and  his  master 
shall  bore  his  ear  through  with  an  awl  ;  and    he  shall  serve 
him  forever. 

(E)  And  if  a  man  sell  his  daughter    to  be   a  ^maidservant,     7 
she  shall  not  go  out  as  the  menservants  do.     If  she   please    8 
not  her  master,  who    hath    espoused    her    to  himself,  *  then 
shall  he  let   her  be    redeemed  :  to  sell  her  unto  a  estrange 
people  he  shall  have  no    power,  seeing  he  hath  dealt  deceit- 
fully with  her.     And  if  he  espouse  her  unto  his  son,  he  shall    9 
deal  with  her  after    the   manner  of  daughters.     If  he   take  10 
him  another  [wife]   her  food,  her  raiment,  and    her  duty  of 
marriage,  shall  he  not   diminish.     And   if  he  do  not    these  11 
three  unto  her,  then    shall  she   go  out   for  nothing,  without 
money. 

He  that  smiteth  a  man,  so  that  he  die,  shall  surely  be   put  12 
to  death.     And   if  a   man   lie   not  in  wait,  but  God  deliver  13 
[him]  into  his  hand  ;  then  "I  will  appoint  thee  a  place  whither  he 
shall  flee.f     And   if  a   man  come    presumptuously  upon  his  14 

^Vv.  22,  29,  30,  34,  36  ;  22  :  7, 10,  II,  13,  14  ;  cf.  Gen.  20  :  3  ;  37  :  19  ;  ch.  24  :  14  ;  Nu.  21  : 
28  ;  Jos.  24  :  II  ;  ct.  Gen.  3  :  6,  16,  etc.  ""iS  :  19  ;  22  :  8f.  ^Vv.  20,  26f.;  Gen.  21:10,12,13, 
etc.  *Gen.  31  :  15  ;  35  :  2,  4  ;  Ex.  2  :  22  ;  18  :  3  ;  Jos.  24  :  20,  23.  'Dt.  4  :  41-43  ;  19  :  1-13  ; 
ct.  vs.  14  : 1  Kgs.  2  :  28. 

*  The  second  clause  of  vs.  8  is  perplexing.  Budde,  Z.  A.  IV.  xi.  i.  proposes 
a  minute  correction  of  the  text  giving  "  and  he  hath  not  known  her  "  ;  /'.  e.  the 
three  methods  of  repudiation  below  specified  are  allowable  only  on  this  condi- 
tion. 

t  A  very  important  and  significant  alteration. is  that  of  vs.  13,  originally,  as 
vs.  14  shows,  "he  shall  flee  to  mine  altar"  (cf.  I  Kings,  ii.  28).  The  right 
of  asylum  was  originally  connected  in  Israel,  as  among  other  ancient  peoples, 
with  the  sanctuary  and  altar.     When  by  the  Deuteronomic  legislation  the  local 


118  EXODUS.  XXI.  15. 

neighbor,  to  slay  him  with  guile  ;  thou   shalt   take  him  from 
mine  altar,  that  he  may  die. 

15  And  he  that  smiteth  his  father,  or  his  mother,  shall  be 
surely  put  to  death. 

16  And  he  that  stealeth  a  man,  and  selleth  him,  or  if  he  be 
found  in  his  hand,  he  shall  surely  be  put  to  death, 

17  ^And  he  that  curseth  his  father,  or  his  mother,  shall  surely 
be  put  to  death.* 

18  And  if  men   contend,  and  one  smiteth  the    other  with  a 

19  stone,  or  with  his  fist,  and  he  die  not,  but  keep  his  bed  :  if  he 
rise  again,  and  walk  abroad  upon  his  staff,  then  shall  he 
that  smote  him  be  quit :  only  he  shall  pay  for  the  loss  of  his 
time,  and  shall  cause  him  to  be  thoroughly  healed. 

20  — And  if  a  man  smite  his  servant,  or  his  ^maid,  with  a  rod, 
and  he  die    under    his    hand  ;  he    shall  surely  be    punished. 

21  Notwithstanding,  if  he  continue  a  day  or  two,  he  shall  not 
be  punished  :  for  he  is  his  money. — 

22  ^"^And  if  men  strive  together,  and  hurt  a  woman  with  child, 
so  that  her  fruit  depart,  and  yet  no  mischief  follow  :  he  shall 
be  surely  fined,  according  as  the  woman's  "husband  shall 
lay  upon  him  ;  and  he  shall  pay  as  the  judges  determine. — f 

23  But  if  any  mischief  follow,  then  thou  shalt  give  life  for  life, 

24  eye  for  eye,   tooth    for  tooth,  hand    for  hand,  foot  for  foot, 

25  burning  for  burning,  wound  for  wound,  stripe  for  stripe. — J 

*Lev.     20:19.     "Vs.    7.     '"Vs.  18.     "Cf.  vs.  3  and  refs.;  ct.    Gen.    3  :  6,  16,  etc. 

sanctuaries  were  abolished,  it  became  necessary  to  create  a  sul)stitute,  in  order 
not  to  destroy  this  humane  institution.  Hence  the  curious  provision  of  the 
Deuteronomic  legislation  of  "cities  of  refuge  "  Dt.  iv.  41-43 ;  xix.  1-13;  cf. 
Num.  XXXV.  6,  9-34  ;  Jos.  xxf.  The  provision,  however,  remained  necessarily 
a  dead  letter.  (Cf.  Colenso.  Pent,  and  Hook  of  Josh.  Ft.  I.  p.  193,  and  Well. 
Hist,  of  Israel,  pp.  r  59ff. ) 

*  Vs.  17  should  perhaps  stand  before  xxii.  18.     .See  note  ///  /or. 

t  P'or  bippelilim  (?  R.  V.  "as  the  judges  determine")  read  with  Budde,  Z. 
A.  JV.  x\.  I,  baiineplialim  ("  for  the  miscarriage  ").  The  c(jntradiction  to  the 
preceding  clause,  "as  the  woman's  husband  shall  lay  upon  him  "  is  thus 
avoided.     Cf.  also  vv.  19  and  30. 

t  Vv.  23-25  must  certainly  have  exchanged  places  with  2of.  (See  lUidde's 
article  above  cited.)     The  injuries   cnnmerated    cannot    possibly  follow  except 


XXII.  I.         THE  FIRST  COVENANT  AT  HOREB.  119 

And  if  a  man  smite  the  eye  of  his  servant,  or  the   eye  of  26 
his  ^^maid,  and   destroy  it  ;  he  shall  let    him   go  free  for  his 
eye's  sake.     And  if  he  smite   out   his  manservant's  tooth,  or  27 
his  ^^maidservant's   tooth  ;  he   shall    let  him  go  free   for  his 
tooth's  sake. 

And  if  an  ox  gore  a  man  or  a  woman,  that  they  die,  the  ox  28 
shall  be  surely  stoned,  and  his  flesh  shall  not  be  eaten  ;  but 
the  ^^owner  of  the  ox  shall  be  quit.     But  if  the  ox  were  wont  29 
to  gore  in  time  past,  and  it  hath  been  testified  to  his  ^^owner, 
and  he  hath  not  kept  him  in,  but  that   he  hath    killed  a  man 
or  a  woman  ;  the   ox    shall  be   stoned,  and   his  ^^owner  also 
shall  be  put  to  death.     If  there  be  laid  on  him  a  ransom,  then  30 
he  shall  give  for  the  redemption  of  his  life  whatsoever  is  laid 
upon  him.     Whether  he  have    gored  a  son,  or  have  gored  a  31 
daughter,  according    to  this  judgment  shall  it  be  done  unto 
him.     If  the  ox    gore  a  manservant    or  a    maidservant  ;  he  32 
shall  give  unto  their  master  thirty  shekels  of  silver,  and  the 
ox  shall  be  stoned. 

And  if  a  man  shall  open  a  pit,  or   if  a  man  shall  dig  a  pit  ^t^ 
and  not  cover  it,  and  an  ox  or  an  ass  fall  therein,  the  owner  34 
of  the  pit  shall  make  it  good  ;  he  shall  give  money  unto  the 
owner  of  them,  and  the  dead  [beast]  shall  be  his. 

And  if  one  man's  ox  hurt  another's,  that  he  die  ;  then  they  35 
shall  sell  the  live  ox,  and  divide  the  price  of  it  ;  and  the  dead 
also  they  shall  divide.     Or   if  it  be 'known  that    the  ox  was  36 
wont  to  gore  in  time  past,  and  his  owner  hath  not  kept  him 
in  ;  he  shall  surely  pay  ox  for  ox,  and  the  dead  [beast]  shall 
be  his  own. 

If  a  man  shall  steal  an  ox,  or  a  sheep,  and  kill  it,  or  sell  it  :  22 
he  shall  pay  five  oxen  for  an  ox,  and  four  sheep  for  a  sheep. 
— If  the  thief  be  found  breaking  in,  and    be  smitten   that  he    2 

'2Vs.  7.     !3Vv.  33f,  36;  22  :8,  I  if.  i4f.;  Gen.  14  :  13  ;  20  :  3  :  37  :  19  ;  (49  :  ^3)  ;  Nu.  21  :  29; 
Jos.  24  :  II. 

a.s  results  of  the  case  supposed  in  vv.  iSf.  Vv.  2of.  are  equally  out  of  place 
except  directly  before  26f.,  which  enumerate  the  less  serious  consequences  of 
injury  to  a  slave  in  precise  analogy  to  the  order  of  iSf.,  23-25,  22.  The  trans- 
position appears  to  be  due  to  a  stupid  attempt  at  readjustment  from  the  seem- 
ing connection  of  22a  with  23a  and  other  superficial  resemblances. 


120  EXODUS.  XXII.  3. 

3  die,  there  shall  be  no  bloodguiltiness  for  him.  If  the  sun  be 
risen  upon  him,  there  shall  be  bloodguiltiness  for  him  :  he 
should    make    restitution  ;* —  if  he    have    nothing,  then    he 

4  shall  be  sold  for  his  theft.  If  the  theft  be  found  in  his  hand 
alive,  whether  it  be  ox,  or  ass,  or  sheep  ;  he  shall  pay  double. 

5  If  a  man  shall  cause  a  Afield  or  vineyard  to  be  eaten,  and 
shall  let  his  beast  loose,  and  it  feed  in  another  man's  field  ; 
of  the  best  of  his  own  field,  and  of  the  best  of  his  own  vine- 
yard, shall  he  make  restitution. 

6  If  fire  break  out,  and  catch  in  thorns,  so  that  the  shocks 
of  corn,  or  the  standing  corn,  or  the  field,  be  consumed  ;  he 
that  kindled  the  fire  shall  surely  make  restitution. 

7  If  a  man  shall  deliver  unto  his  neighbor  money  or  stuff  to 
keep,  and  it  be  stolen  out  of  the  man's  house  ;  if  the  thief  be 

8  found,  he  shall  pay  double.  If  the  thief  be  not  found,  then 
the  master  of  the  house  shall  -come  near  unto  God,  [to  see] 
whether  he  have  not  put  his  hand  unto  his  neighbor's  goods. 

9  For  every  matter  of  trespass  whether  it  be  for  ox,  for  ass, 
for  sheep,  for  raiment,  [or]  for  any  manner  of  lost  thing, 
whereof  one  saith.  This  is  it,  the  cause  of  both  parties  shall 
come  before  God  ;  he  whom  God  shall  condemn  shall  pay 
double  unto  his  neighbor. 

10  If  a  man  deliver  unto  his  neighbor  an  ass,  or  an  ox,  or  a 
sheep,  or   any  beast,    to    keep  ;  and    it  die,  or    be   hurt,  or 

11  driven  away,  no  man  seeing  it  :  the  oath  of  Yahweht  shall  be 

iNu.  16  :  14  ;  20  :  17  :  21  :,22.     ^iS  :  15,  ig  :  21  :  6, 

*Vv.  2,  3a  seem  to  be  either  a  very  ancient  interpolation  (liudcle,  Z.  A.  IV. 
xi.  I.  Baentzsch  B.  Bh.  p.  42),  or  misplaced.  Vs.  3b  must  necessarily  connect 
with  vs.  I,  and  cannot  tolerate  the  interruption  of  2,  3a.  which  suppose  the 
thief  to  be  dead.  Vs.  4  presents  the  alternative  to  vs.  i.  It  is  perhaps  prefer- 
able to  suppose  that  2,  3a  originally  followed  vs.  4,  and  were  removed  with  the 
idea  of  carrying  back  the  supposititious  manslaughter  to  the  point  of  time 
when  the  theft  is  being  committed.  The  sense  of  3a  is  as  follows:  "  If  the 
owner  was  not  merely  defending  his  property,  but  killed  the  thief  in  broad  day- 
light, when  he  might  have  recognized  him,  and  so,  by  bringing  complaint,  have 
obtained  full  redress,  it  must  be  reckoned  malicious  manslaughter.  The  tliicf 
should  have  expiated  the  wrong  by  restitution,  not  by  death. 

t  Read  "  God"  with  LXX.  "  ^'aluvch  "  seemed  to  the  editor  more  appro- 
priate to  the  sense. 


XXII.  1 8.  ISRAEL  AT  SINAI.  121 

between  them  both,  whether  he   hath  not  put  his  hand  unto 
his  neighbor's  goods  ;  and  the  ^owner  thereof  shall  accept  it, 
and  he  shall  not  make  restitution.     But  if  it  be   stolen  from  12 
him,  he  shall  make  restitution  unto  the  owner  thereof.     If  it  13 
be  torn  in  pieces,  let  him  bring  it  for  witness  ;  he  shall  not 
make  good  that  which  was  torn. 

And  if  a  man  ^borrow  aught  of  his  neighbor,  and  it  be  hurt,  14 
or  die,  the  aowner  thereof   not  being  with  it,  he  shall  surely 
make  restitution.     If  the   owner  thereof  be  with  it,  he  shall  15 
not  make  it  good  ;  if  it  be  an  hired  thing,  it  came  for  its  hire. 

And  if  a  man  entice  a  virgin  that  is  not  betrothed,  and  lie  16 
with  her,  he  shall  surely  pay  a  dowry  for  her  to  be  his  wife. 
If  her  father  utterly  refuse  to  give  her  unto  him,  he  shall  pay  17 
money  according  to  the  dowry  of  virgins. 

^Thou  *  shalt  not  suffer  a  sorceress  to  live.  18 

'21  :  28  and  refs.    ''3  :  22  :   11:2;  12  :  35.     ^Lev.  20  ;  27. 

*  A  careful  study  of  the  Mishpatiin  seems  to  reveal  an  arrangement  in  three 
divisions.  Division  A,  ch.  xxi.,  comprises  cases  involving  the  rights  of  the 
person  {probitas)  :  i.  The  Limit  of  Slavery,  vv.  2-6 ;  ii.  of  Concubinage,  vv.  7- 
II  ;  iii.  Murder,  parricide,  manstealing,  vv.  12-17  !  'v.  Injuries  in  quarrel,  vv. 
i8f.,  23-25,  22;  V.  Injuries  to  slaves,  vv.  2of.,  26f.;  vi.  Injuries  to  life  from 
unrestrained  cattle,  vv.  28-32.  Division  B,  xxi.  33-36;  xxii.  1-17  includes 
cases  involving  the  rights  of  property  [eqiiitas] :  i.  From  criminal  neglect,  xxi. 
33-36;  ii.  Theft,  vv.  i,  3b,  4,  2,  3a.;  iii.  Trespass,  vs.  5;  iv.  Arson,  vs.  6;  v. 
Breach  of  trust,  vv.  7-9;  vi.  Loss  of  cattle,  vv.  10-13;  ^'i-  of  borrowed  Prop- 
erty, vv.i4f.:  viii.  Seduction  (  =  theft  of  dowry)  vv.  i6f.  Division  C  includes 
cases  of  trespass  against  the  community  (pietas) :  i.  Abominations  (witchcraft, 
defilement,  cursing  of  parents  {}))  vv.  iSf.;  xxi.  17  (.')  ii.  Worship  of  a  strange 
god  (considered  as  treason  to  the  commonwealth)  vs.  20;  iii.  Wronging  of  the 
widow  and  the  ^^<v- (wards  of  the  community)  vs.  21;  iv.  Usury,  vv.  25f;  v. 
Disrespect  to  God  and  the  magistrate,  vs.  28  •  vi.  Just  Judgment,  xxiii.  1-3 ; 
vii.  Public  Goodwill,  vv.  4f.  Vv.  6-8  make  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  the 
Code  by  commanding  a  just  verdict  from  the  Judges.  These  seem  to  be  a  con- 
clusion to  the  code  rather  than  a  part  of  it  and  may  have  been  added  by  E.  Vs. 
8  is  i)alpably  a  proverb.  It  is  natural  that  Division  C,  from  its  character  should 
exhibit  the  most  traces  of  editorial  working  over,  (cf.  Ex.  xx.  r-12  with  I3ff.) 
and  these  interpolations  will  be  referred  to  later.  It  is  noteworthy,  however, 
that  Division  C,  in  particular,  shows  many  points  of  affinity  with  portions  of  the 
so-called  Heiligkeitsgesetz  (P^)  in  Lev.  xvii-xxvi,  and  as  the  enactment  xxi.  17  is 
found  in  Lev.  xx.  9  among  the  obligations  oi  pietas,  it  is  possible  it  may  have 
originally  stood  before  xxii.  18,  having  been  attracted  to  its  present  place  by 
xxi.  15. 


122  EXODUS.  XXII.  19. 

19  HVhosoever  lieth  with  a  beast  shall  surely  be  put  to  death, 

20  "He  that  sacrificeth  unto  any  god,  save  unto  Yahweh  only, 

21  shall  be  utterly  destroyed.  ^And  a  stranger  shalt  thou  not 
(Rd)  wrong,  neither  shalt  thou  oppress  him  :  sfor  ye  were  strangers 

22  in  the  land  of    Egypt.     Ye  shall   not   afflict  any  widow,  or   fatherless  child. 

23  9If    thou    afflict    them    in    any   wise,    and  they   cry  at    all    unto    me,  I    will 

24  surely  hear  their  cry;  and  my  wrath  shall  wax  hot,  and  I  will  kill  you  with 
the  sword  ;  and  your  wives  shall   be  widows,  and    your  children  fatherless.* 

25  (E)  '-If  thou  lend  money  to  any  of  my  people  with  thee 
that  is  poor,  thou  shalt  not  be  to  him  as  a  creditor  ;  neither 

26  shall  ye  lay  upon  him  usury.  If  thou  at  all  take  thy  neigh- 
bor's garment  to  pledge,  thou  shalt  restore  it  unto    him  by 

27  (Rd)  that  the  sun  goeth  down  :  for  that  is  his  only  covering,  it  is 
his  garment  for  his  skin  :  wherein  shall  he  sleep  }  and  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
when  he  crieth  unto  me,  that  I  will  hear  ;  for  I  am  gracious. 

28  (E)  Thou   shalt  not   revile  (iod,  nor    curse  a  ruler  of  thy 

29  people. — '^Thou  shalt  not  delay  to  offer  of  the  abundance  of 
thy  fruits,  and   of  thy  liquors.     ^-The    firstborn    of 'thy  sons 

30  shalt  thou  give  unto  me.  Likewise  shalt  thou  do  with  thine 
oxen,  [and]  with  thy  sheep  :  seven  days  it  shall  be  with  its 

31  dam  ;  on  the  eighth  day  thou  shalt  give  it  me.  And  ^'ye  shall 
be  holy  men  unto  me  :  therefore  ye  shall  not  eat  any  flesh 
that  is  torn  of  beasts  in  the  field  :  ye  shall  cast  it  to  the 
dogs.— t 

'Lev.  18  :-2i, ;  20  :  15.  '20  :  3  ;  Lev.  25  :  22.  '23  :  9  ;  Lev.  ig  :  33f. ;  25  :  14  ;  Dt.  10  :  19. 
"Dt.  24  :  19,  21526  :  i2f.  'ODt.  23  :  i9f.  i'34  :  igf  ;  xxiii.  19.  "Cf.  13  :  i2ff.;  34  :  19.  'Sig:  4; 
Lev.  17 :  15  ;  Dt.  14  :  2,  21. 

*  Vv.  2ib-24,  27  ;  xxiii.  9b.  strongly  resemble  the  Deuteronomic  style.  The 
main  objection,  however,  to  the  originality  of  these  verses,  and  perhaps  to  the 
whole  of  vv.  21-27,  a'K^l  xxiii.  4f.  as  well,  is  that  they  are  not  mishpatim,  {/'t/s) 
and  do  not  belong  in  a  code  of  rules  for  the  decision  of  causes;  but  are  moral 
precepts,  i/ds),  to  be  supported  by  the  divine  favor  or  disfavor  or  by  humane 
sentiment,  rather  than  by  the  authority  of  the  courts.  It  is  possible  to  say 
with  considerable  confidence  that  they  are  not  an  original  part  of  the  Hook  of 
Judgments,  without  being  certain  in  all  cases  that  they  may  not  have  been 
taken  up  or  added  by  E  himself. 

t  Vv.  29-31  are  obviously  not  nnshf^atiin,  and  the  passage  duplicates  part  of 
"  the  Rook  of  the  Covenant  "  (tirstfiuits,  xxiii.  19)  while  on  the  other  hand  the 
law  of  the  firstborn,  which  we  sliould  surely  expect  there,  does  not  appear. 
The  ex]ilanation  would  seem  to   be    iliat    in    the   jirocess    of  assimilation  of  the 


XXIII.  9-  ISRAEL  AT  SI NAL  123 

(E)  ^Thou  shalt  not  take  up  a  false  report  :  put  not  thine  23 
hand  with  the  wicked  to  be  an   unrighteous  witness.     Thou     2 
shalt  not  follow  a  multitude  to  do   evil  ;  neither  shalt  thou 
speak   in  a  cause  to  turn  aside  after  a  multitude   to  wrest 
[judgment]  :  *  neither  shalt   thou   favor  a   poor  man   in  his    3 
cause. 

If  thou   meet  thine    enemy's   ox    or  his  ass^  going  astray,    4 
thou  shalt  surely  bring  it  back    to  him  again.     If  thou  see    5 
the  ass  of  him  that  hateth  thee  lying  under  his  burden,   an^ 
wouldest  forbear   to  help  him,  thou    shalt   surely   help  with 
him. 

^Thou  shalt  not  wrest  the  judgment   of    thy  poor  in  his    6 
cause.     Keep  thee  far  from  a  false  matter  ;  and  the  innocent    7 
and    righteous    slay   thou    not  :  for   I    will  not  justify  \  the 
wicked.     *And  thou   shalt   take   no  gift  :  for  a  gift  blindeth    8 
them    that     have  sight,  and   perverteth    the    words  of   the 

(Rd)  righteous.  ^S.wA  a  stranger  shalt  thou  not  oppress  for  ye  know  9 
the  heart  of  a  stranger,  seeing  ye  were  strangers  in  the  land  of  Egypt. — \ 

■'20:16.  2  Gen.  20:13  ;  21:14;  37:15.  3  Dt,  if,;,g_  ■»  I  Sam.  12:3.  =>  22:21  ;  Dt.  16:12. 
Book  of  the  Covenant  to  the  Words  of  the  Covenant  (xxxiv.  25f.)  these  verses 
(xxii.  29-31)  were  displaced  by  xxiii.  19a.  The  supposition  finds  curious  con- 
firmation in  Dt.  xiv.  21,  where  Ex.  xxii.  31  is  followed  by  xxiii.  19b  (=xxxiv. 
26b). — In  vs.  31  "in  the  field  "  is  a  misreading  of  the  words  meaning  "  flesh 
torn  of  beasts  "  and  should  be  omitted.  See  Budde  Z.  A.  W.  xi.  i.  p.  113.  and 
cf.  LXX. 

*  The  missing  word  "judgment  "  is  to  be  supplied  from  LXX.  But  vs.  2  b 
requires  further  investigation  for  a  satisfactory  reading.  In  Art  IV.  an  emen- 
dation is  suggested  giving,  "  neither  shalt  thou  turn  aside  after  a  multitude  to 
wrest  judgment." 

t  Read  with  LXX.  in  2d  person  sing.,  "  Neither  shalt  thou  justify." 

X  Vs.  9,  a  duplicate  of  xxii.  21,  appended  to  the  collection  in  the  Deuterono- 
mic  interest,  seems  to  mark  the  conclusion  of  the  Mislipatinl :  for  in  the 
verses  which  follow  we  have  no  longer  instructions  for  the  judges  ("judg- 
ments ")  but  directions  to  the  people  for  the  popular  worship.  Indeed,  the 
latter  part  of  the  code  has  certainly  been  interpolated,  a  process  to  which  it 
lent  itself  both  by  character  and  position.  Such  humanitarian  provisions  as 
xxiii.  4f.,  for  example,  are  characteristic  of  Rd,  and  these  verses  are  exposed  to 
further  suspicion  from  the  fact  that  they  interrupt  the  connection  of  vv.  1-3 
with  6-8,  which  otherwise  would  form  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  the  code. 
Vs.  8  seems  to  be  referred  to  in  I  Sam.  xii.  3.    (E. ) 


124 


EXODU'S.  XXI 1 1.  lo. 


10  (E)  «  And    six  years  thou   shalt  sow  thy  land,  and  shalt 

1 1  gather  in  the  increase  thereof  :  but  the  seventh  year  thou 
(Rd)  shalt  let  it  rest  and  lie  fallow  ;  'that  the  poor  of  thy  peo- 
(E)  pie  may  eat :  and  what  they  leave  the  beast  of  the  field  shall  eat.  In 
like  manner  thou  shalt  deal   with   thy  vineyard,   [and]   with 

12  thy  oliveyard.  "Six  days  thou  shalt  do  thy  work,  and  on  the 
(Rd)  seventh  day  thou  shalt  rest:  »that  thine  ox  and  thine  ass  may 
have  rest,  and  the  son  of  thy  handmaid,  and  the  stranger,  may  be  refreshed. 

13  (^)  —And  in  all  things  that  I  have  said  unto  you  take  ye 
heed  :  and  make  no  mention  of  the  name  of  '^other  gods, 
neither  let  it  be  heard  out  of  thy  mouth.—* 

14  "Three  ^'''times  thou  shalt  keep  a  feast  unto  me  in  the  year. 

15  (Rd)  The  feast  of  unleavened  bread  shalt  thou  keep  :  %even 
days  thou  shalt  eat  unleavened  bread,  as  I  commanded  thee,  at  the  time  ap- 
pointed in  the   month   Abib  (for  in   it   thou  camest  out  from  Egypt) ;  and 

91  (E)  none  shall  appear  before  me  empty  :  i*and  the  feast  of  harvest, 
the  firstfruits  of  thy  labors,  which  thou  sowest  in  the  field  : 
and  the  feast   of   ingathering,  at  the  end    of   the  year,  when 

17  (Rd)  thou  gatherest  in  thy  labors  out  of  the  field.  isThree 
'"times  in  the  year  all  thy  males  shall  appear  before  the  Lord  Yahweh. 

18  (E)  ^'Thou  shalt  not  offer  the   blood  of  my  sacrifice  with 

«  21:2  ;  Lev.  25:  1-7.  'Dt.  24:i9ff.  820:8:34:21.  »  Dt.  5:  i4f.  1020:3,23.  "34:18, 
20c,  22f.  i2Ct.  vs.  17.  1334  :  18.  "Cf.  34  :  22.  1834  :  23  ;  Dt.  16  :  16.  i^Cf.  34  :  23  ;  ct.  vs.  14. 
"34:25. 

*The  style  and  language  of  vs.  13  (see  references)  favor  its  genuineness; 
but  its  position,  as  if  bringing  the  legislation  to  a  close,  is  very  strange.  Jiili- 
cher  [Jahrb.  Prot.  T/i.  viii.  p.  300)  is  doubtless  right  in  saying  we  must  expect 
xxiii.  2off.  immediately  after  it.  He  is  also  right  in  finding  traces  of  borrowing 
in  vv.  14-19  from  ch.  xxxiv. 

The  theory  of  borrowing  is  confirmed  by  the  singular  fact  that  LXX.  include 
after  xxiii.  17  {=  xxxiv.  23)  the  first  half  of  xxxiv.  24  also,  a  palpable  interpo- 
lation of  post-Deuteronomic  time.  But  a  nucleus  of' genuine  material  similar 
to  xxxiv.  10-27  must  have  been  originally  present  to  serve  for  a  basis  of  assimi- 
lation. (Cf.  Budde,  Z.  A.  W.  xi.  pp.  23off.  and  Art.  IV.  and  see  note  following). 
Perhaps  the  simplest  solution  would  be  to  suj^pose  that  the  laws  of  K's  second 
covenant,  which  followed  vs.  12a,  were  nearly  identical  with  .xxxiv.  21-26,  con- 
cluding with  vs.  13.  This  K  material  Rd  partly  removed  to  a  little  earlier  posi- 
tion (xxii.  29-31),  partly  (vv.  14-16)  employed  in  combination  with  that  which 
he  took  from  J  (xxxiv.  18,  23,  26)  to  make  a  new  jiaragraph  (vv.  14-19)  which  he 
simply  added  on  after  vs.  13.  Thu  same  process  of  amplification  liy  Rd  is 
illustrated  in  ch,  xx. 


XXIII.  26.  ISRAEL  AT  SINAI.  125 

leavened  bread  ;  neither  shall  the  fat  of  my  feast  remain  all 
(Rd)  night  until  the  morning.      isThe  first   of  the  firstfruits  of  thy  19 
ground  thou  shalt  bring  into  the  house  of    Yahweh  thy   God.     Thou  shalt 
not  seethe  a  kid  in  its  mother's  milk.* 

(E)  ^^Behold,  I  send    an  angel    before    thee,  to  keep  thee  20 
by  the  way,  and    to  bring  thee    into  the    place  which  I  have 
prepared.     Take  ye  heed  of  him,  and  hearken  unto  his  voice  ;  21 
^'provoke  him  not  :   for  he  will    not   pardon  your    transgres- 
sion ;  for  my  name    is    in    him.     -^But  if    thou    shalt    indeed  22 
hearken  unto  his   voice,  and  do  all  that  I  speak  ;  then  I  will 
be  an  enemy  unto  thine  enemies,  and  an  adversary  unto  thine 
(Rd)  adversaries.      '^"^Yox  mine   angel  shall   go  before  thee,  and  bring  23 
thee  in  unto  the  Amorite,  and  the  Hittite,  and  the  Perizzite,  and  the  Canaan- 
ite,  the  Hivite,  and   the  Jebusite  '-^and  I  will  cut    them  off.     -*Thou   shalt  24 
not  bow  down  to  their  gods,  nor  serve  them,  nor    do  after  their  works  :  but 
thou  shalt  utterly  overthrow  them,  and  -^break  in  pieces  their  jjillars.     And  25 
(E)  ye  shall    serve    Yahweh  your    God,  and    he   shall     f  bless    thy 
bread,  and  thy  water  ;  and  I    will  take  sickness   away  from 
the  midst  of  thee.     There  shall  none  cast  her  young,  nor  be  26 

1^22  :  29  :  34  :  26.  '^32  :  34  ;  Num.  20  :  16.  -"32  :  32-34  ;  Jos.  24  :  19.  ^^^ig  :  sf.  '^33  :  2  ; 
34  :  11-16.     23Ct.  vs.  30.     2420  ;  5.     2534  :  ,3  ;  Nu.  33  :  52  ;  Dt.  12 :  3. 

*Vv.  I5bc,  17,  19a  are  certainly  taken  over  here  from  ch.  .\xxiv.  and  not  vice 
versa;  for  15b  refers  to  xiii.  3ff.;  (J),  and  r5c  is  here  mistakenly  separated 
from  the  law  of  the  firstborn.  Both  together  interrupt  the  connection  of  15a  with 
16. Vs.  17  repeats  vs.  14,  but  in  different  language,  which  is  not  that  of  E,  but  of  J 
(of.  xxxiv.  23).  Even  in  ch.  xxxiv.  vs.  23  (=vs.  17)  seems  to  be  in  part("  males  "  ) 
or  wholly,  from  Rd,  and  the  lateness  of  the  period  to  which  the  process  of 
assimilation  here  exemplified  extended  appears  from  the  fact  above  spoken 
of  that  LXX.  take  in  also  xxxiv.  24  !  Vs.  19a  has  also  been  taken  from  xxxiv.  26 
displacing  its  E  equivalent  to  xxii.  29-31,  which  strikingly  differs  in  language. 
On  the  other  hand  the  contrast  in  linguistic  form  of  vs.  14  with  17,  16  with 
xxxiv.  22,  18  with  xxxiv.  25,  and  the  occurrence  in  Dt.  xiv.  21  of  vs.  19b  in  the 
connection  of  xxii.  31  shows  how  large  a  proportion  of  genuine  E  material 
here  remains  to  explain  the  motive  of  assimilation.  In  verses  15  and  17,  as 
well  as  in  xxxiv.  20,  23f.  the  expression  "  appear  before  "  is  derived  by  a, 
change  of  vowel  which  has  systematically  been  carried  through  the  Old  Test, 
by  the  vocalizers  (cf.  Dt.  xvi.  16;  xxxi.  il;  I  Sam.  i.  22;  Ps.  xlii.  3;  Is.  i.  12) 
from  an  original  "see  the  face  of"  which  was  open  to  dogmatic  objections  ;  cf. 
Gen.  xxxiii.  10. 

t  Read  "  I  will  "  with  LXX.  and  Vulg.,  and  cf.  following  clauses.  For  the 
interpolation  which  has  led  to  the  change  of  person  see  note  on  vs.  33. 


12C  EXODUS.  XXIII.  -7- 

barren,  in    thy    land  :  the    number  of    thy   days   I  will  fulfil. 

27  (Rd)  '^"^I  will  send  my  terror  before  thee,  and  will  discomfit  all  the  people 
to  whom  thou  shalt  come,  and  I  will  make  all  thine  enemies  turn  their  backs 

28  (E)  unto  thee.  And  I  will  send  the  ^hornet  before  thee,  which 
(Rd)  shall    drive  out    the    Hivite,   the    Canaanite,    and    the    Hittite, 

29  (E)  from  before  thee.  "-^I  will  not  drive  them  out  from  be- 
fore thee  in  one  year  ;  lest    the  land  become   desolate,  and 

30  the  beast  of  the  field  multiply  against  thee.  By  little  and 
little  I  will  drive  them  out  from    before    thee,  until  thou  be 

31  increased,  and  inherit  the  land.  And  I  will  set  thy  border 
from  the  Red  Sea  even  unto  the  sea  of  the  Philistines,  and 
(Rd)  from  the  wilderness  unto  the  River  :  for  I  will  deliver  the 
inhabitants  of  the  land  into  your  hand  ;  and    thou    shalt  drive  them  out  be- 

32  fore  thee.     -"Thou  shalt  make  no  covenant  with  them,  nor  with  their  gods. 

33  30They  shall  not  dwell  in  thy  land,  lest  they  make  thee  sin  against  me  :  for 

if  thou  serve  their  gods,  it  will  surely  be  a  snare  unto  thee.* 

"Dt.  2  :  25  ;  cf.  vs.  28.  ^Tjqs.  24  :  12.  »«Jud.  2  :  23-3  :  4  ;  Ct.  vv.  23,  316-33.  •■"'34  :  12. 
'"Cf.  Jud.  2:1-3;  ct.  vv.  29-30  and  Jud.  2  :23  ;  31  :  if. 

*Vv.  20-33,  ^s  well  as  the  earlier  part  of  ch.  xxiii.,  have  been  interpolated 
from  ch.  xxxiv.  Thus  vv.  23-25a(i'  repeat  v^-.  20,  27  and  28  and  are  apparently 
derived  from  xxxiv.  11-13  ;  for  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  author  (E), 
who  hitherto  has  devoted  himself  to  rebaptizing  the  ancient  tnaccehoth,  and  so 
transforming  them  from  syml:)ols  of  the  old  heathen  worship  into  memorials  of 
"  places  where  Yahweh  has  caused  his  name  to  be  remembered,"  has  suddenly 
adopted  the  new  plan  of  decreeing  their  utter  demolition.  Again  the  enumera- 
tion of  the  six  peoples  is  a  suspicious  trait  (cf.  xxxiii.  2  ;  xxxiv.  11,  and  J, 
/rtw/w),  especially  as  vs.  28  repeats  the  promise  in  a  different  form.  Here 
"  Amorite  "  should  be  supplied  from  LXX.,  and  the  other  names  stricken  out  as 
redactional.  The  following  verses  have  "  him  "  (not  "  them  "  as  translated) 
and  the  pronoun  in  the  singular  can  only  refer  to  "the  Amorite  "  (cf.  Jos.  xxiv. 
15),  by  whom  this  author  (E),  designates  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan  in  general. 
Vv.  31-33  are  also  supplementary  and  derived,  with  the  exception  of  vs.  31, 
which  merely  repeats  the  context,  from  xxxiv.  12.  The  LXX.  carry  this  process 
of  interpolation  further  than  the  Massoretic  text  (cf.  vs.  17,  LXX.)  inserting  after 
vs.  22a  a  repetition  of  xix.  sf.  The  (five  ?)  brief  promises  which  remain  after 
the  removal  of  this  supplementary  material,  form  the  counterpart  to  the  brief 
ritual  commands  by  which  the  people's  service  to  Vahweh  is  to  be  regulated, 
and  the  two  (tables?)  together  constitute  "  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,"  whose 
solemn  ratification  is  related  in  xxiv.  3-8. 


ISRAEL'S  APOSTASY.  127 

2.  Chh.  xxiv.-xxxii.     Israel's  Apostasy. 
AA'ALVS/S. 

The  following  seems  to  be  the  order  of  events  intended  by  the  tinal 
redactor : 

Moses,  the  priests  and  elders  are  summoned  to  the  top  of  the  mount, 
Moses  ratifies  the  covenant  of  God  with  the  people  by  means  of  a  sac- 
rificial ceremony.  He  and  the  priests  and  elders  ascend  the  mount,  and 
are  admitted  to  the  presence  of  God,  where  a  second  covenant  meal  is 
celebrated;  xxiv.  i-ii.  Moses  is  summoned  again  to  the  top  of  the 
mount  to  receive  instructions  and  the  tables  of  stone.  He  ascends  with 
Joshua,  leaving  Aaron  and  Hur  in  charge  below.  Appearance  of  the 
cloud  and  the  "  glory  "  on  mount  Sinai,  into  which  Moses  enters  for  40 
days;  .xxiv.  12-18.  (Instructions  as  to  the  Tabernacle  and  its  furniture 
and  worship,  chh.  .xxx.-xxxi.  17;  omitted.)  Moses  receives  the  tables  of 
stone  ;  xxxi.  18.  The  people,  impatient  at  the  non-appearance  of  Moses, 
induce  Aaron  to  make  a  golden  calf,  to  which  they  sacrifice ;  xxxii.  1-6. 
Yahweh  informs  Moses  of  all  that  has  taken  place  below.  Moses 
entreats  and  secures  forgiveness  for  the  people;  vv.  7-14.  Descending 
from  the  mount  Moses  and  Joshua  hear  "  the  noise  of  the  people,"  and 
question  as  to  its  meaning.  Arrived  in  view  of  the  camp,  Moses  sees 
the  calf  and  the  dancing,  and  dashes  the  tables  of  stone  to  pieces,  rebuk- 
ing and  punishing  the  people  ;  vv.  1 5-24.  Moses  seeing  the  people 
"  broken  loose,"  stands  in  the  gate  of  the  camp  and  summons  to  his  help 
the  sons  of  Levi,  who  inflict  a  slaughter  of  3000 ;  vv.  25-29.  On  the 
morrow  Moses  ascends  to  God,  entreats  and  obtains  a  suspension  of 
punishment  for  the  people,  who,  however,  are  dismissed  from  Horeb  ■ 
vv.  30-34.     Yahweh  smites  the  people  ;  vs.  35. 

A  careful,  unprejudiced  reading  of  chh.  xxiv.  and  xxxii.  which  should 
fail  to  disclose  manifold  prima  facie  incongruities  and  contradictions 
would  be  an  impossibility.  It  is  not  natural  that  in  ch.  xxiv.  verses  3-8, 
the  obvious  sequel  to  ch.  xxiii.,  should  be  inserted  between  vv.  if.  and 
9- 1 1,  at  once  separating  these  necessarily  connected  verses  from  one 
another  and  divorcing  the  covenant  from  its  ratification.  But  independ- 
ently vv.  if.  are  not  in  their  natural  position  after  ch.  xxiii.,  in  which 
Moses  is  still  receiving  the  divine  message  ;  for  in  the  Hebrew  we  have  : 
"  And  unto  Moses  he  said,"  an  order  and  form  quite  as  suggestive  in  the 
Hebrew  of  a  gap  in  the  preceding  context  as  in  English,  and  entirely 
different  from  the  usual  formula  :  "  And  he  (or  Yahweh)  said  unto 
Moses."     It  is  necessary  accordingly  to  recognize  that  Yahweh  has  been 


128  EXODUS. 

speaking  to  some  other  than  Moses  before  xxiv.  i.  Now  if  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  names  "  Nadab  and  Abihu  "  be  observed — they  can  be  no 
other  than  the  sons  of  Aaron  "  the  priests  ;"  of.  xxviii.  i,  P — it  will 
readily  be  seen  that  we  have  in  xxiv.  if.,  9-1 1  the  real  sequel,  though 
not  quite  immediate,  to  xix.  20-25,  t^^e  fulfilment  of  xix.  24.  The  gap 
accordingly  need  not  have  been  large.  It  may  have  included  no  more 
than  the  statement  that  ("on  the  morrow.''")  Yahweh  appeared  on 
mount  Sinai  before  all  the  people  and  gave  the  appointed  signal,  (xix.  13) 
of  the  long  blast  of  Xhtyobel,  warning  the  people  not  to  approach  ;  then  : 
"  imt  unto  Moses  he  said"  etc. 

The  double  breach  of  connection  in  this  passage  is  so  remarkable  as 
almost  to  convict  the  analysis  of  proving  too  much.  It  is  not  at  first 
apparent  why  Rje  (if  it  were  he)  should  have  so  mutilated  his  own 
work.  Why  place  vv.  if.  before  vv.  3-8.?  Without  anticipating  the 
results  of  our  further  inquiry  into  the  history  of  the  Book  of  the  Cove- 
nant, we  may  point  out  now  the  restriction  which  vs.  1 1  would  put  upon 
the  editor  who  inserted  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  here — not  Rje,  as  we 
shall  see,  but  Rd.  This  eating  and  drinking  in  the  presence  of  God  on 
the  holy  mount,  by  representatives  of  the  people,  is  no  common  meal. 
It  is  a  covenant  meal,  or  sacrament,  and  typifies  the  same  as  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  covenant  by  sacrifice  (which  also  included  the  covenant  meal) 
in  vv.  3-8.  Now  Rd  (or  Rje)  would  be  anxious  to  avoid  the  appearance 
which  would  result  from  the  order  3-8,  if.,  9-1 1,  of  relating  two  con- 
secutive ratifications  of  covenant  between  Israel  and  Yahweh,  at  the 
same  time  and  under  similar  circumstances,  especially  in  addition  to  xix. 
3-8  ;  hence  the  pains  taken  to  associate  vv.  if.,  9-1 1  so  closely  with  vv. 
3-8  as  to  make  it  apparent  that  both  relate  to  the  same,  and  not  to  two 
consecutive  ratifications. 

We  have  already  seen  that  vs.  1 2  originally  preceded  chh.  xxi.  f.  Its  nat- 
ural position,  and  that  in  which  it  would  appear  to  have  stood  when  I)t.  v. 
22  was  written,  is  immediately  after  xx.  1-2 1  and  the  E  element  of  xix.  3-8. 
The  characters  Joshua,  Aaron  and  Hur  (cf.  xvii.  8-16),  the  "mount  of 
God  "  (iii.  I  :  xviii.  5,  etc.),  the  judicial  function  of  Moses,  the  expres- 
sion for  "hath  a  cause "  (lit.  "  is  owner  of  a  cause"  or  "master  of 
words  ; "  cf.  Gen.  xxxvii.  19,  and  see  refs.)  and  the  connection  with  xxxii. 
1 5ff.  (in  no  other  instances  does  Joshua  appear  as  Moses'  companion  in 
the  mount)  make  it  easy  to  assign  vv.  12-14  with  certainty  to  E.  In  its 
present  connection  the  passage  seems  to  assert  that  Moses  and  Joshua 
left  the  "  nobles  "  engaged  with  their  feast  (presumably  at  a  point  below 
the  summit,  though  no  such  intunation  appears  in  vv.  i-i  i)  and  went  up 
to  God,  leaving  Aaron  and   Mnr  with   tlie  "  elders."     Nf)w  it   might  be 


ISRAEL'S  APOSTASY.  129 

granted,  if  necessary,  that  Joshua  and  Hur  happened  to  be  among  the 
70,  though  not  specifically  mentioned  ;  but  no  explanation  of  the  litiga- 
tion (!)  among  the  "  elders  "  on  the  mount  of  God  can  be  given,  unless 
in  some  way  "  elders  "  is  supposed  really  to  mean  "  people."  Let  us 
then  substitute  "  people."  But  in  that  case  the  verse  will  not  agree 
with  vv.  9-1 1,  according  to  which  it  would  not  be  true  to  say  ''Aaron 
and  Hur  are  with  you."  The  probability  becomes  very  strong  that  an 
original  "  people,"  who  were  to  bring  their  strifes  to  Aaron  and  Hur 
for  adjustment  in  the  absence  of  Moses  and  Joshua,  has  been  altered  by 
Rje  to  "elders,"  in  order  to  avoid  this  plain  contradiction  (see  note  in 
loc). 

Here,  as  in  ch.  xix.,  we  find  ourselves  in  a  tangle  when  we  try  to  con- 
ceive Moses'  ascent  and  descent  of  the  mountain.  The  only  refuge 
from  the  dilemma  of  vv.  9-14  is  to  deny  the  apparent  continuity  of  the 
verses,  insert  an  assumed  descent  of  the  mountain  after  vs.  1 1,  and  deny 
that  "  elders  "  in  vs.  14  has  reference  to  the  "  elders  "  of  vv.  i,  9  and  11 
(?).  In  that  case  Moses  goes  down  in  vs.  11  with  absolutely  no  other 
object  than  to  ascend  again  in  vs.  1 3,  and  this  ascent  is  again  related  in 
vs.  \i),  2iWdi  yet  agam  'v(\v?>.  18.  The  last  must  be  admitted  to  be  an 
intentional  reiteration.  Ut.  ix.  11  shows  that  we  must  connect  vs.  iSai^b 
with  JE  and  not  P;  hence  it  is  a  reiteration  of  vs.  13,  not  of  vs.  15. 
Three  ascents  of  the  mount  remain  related,  to  add  to  the  long  list  of 
ascents  in  ch.  xix.,  without  any  statement  of  descents,  though  the  latter  if 
only  for  clearness' sake  should  have  been  mentioned.  If,  however,  we 
analyze  into  documents  we  find  all  these  three  statements  of  ascent  to  be 
needful.  They  are  simply  the  second  ascent  of  J,  the  second  of  E  and 
the  first  of  P  ;  for  vv.  1 5-1 8a  are  manifestly  from  this  source.  (See  refs. 
for  linguistic  and  other  criteria).  P's  description  of  the  appearance  of 
the  mount  in  the  eyes  of  the  children  of  Israel,  and  of  the  "  cloud  "  and 
"  glory  "  is  naturally  given  thus  fully  (cf.  ch.  xix.)  in  connection  with  the 
first  appearance. 

To  an  unprejudiced  mind  the  incompatibilities  and  incongruities  of  ch. 
xxxii.  are  as  great,  if  not  greater  than  those  of  ch.  xxiv.  In  vs.  14  the 
divine  forgiveness  has  been  secured  by  Moses'  intercession.  "Yahweh 
repented  of  the  evil  which  he  said  he  would  do  unto  his  people."  Yet 
severe  punishment  is  meted  out  to  them  by  Moses  in  vv.  igf.,  a  still 
severer  one  by  the  sons  of  Levi  in  25-28,  and  last  of  all,  vs.  35,  Yahweh 
him«elf  "  smote  the  people,  because  they  made  the  calf  which  Aaron 
made."  The  last  visitation  moreover  comes  directly  after  a  second 
intercession  of  Moses,  in  reply  to  which  Yahweh,  for  the  second  time, 
has  granted  suspension  of  punishment.     There  is  at  least  a  prima  facie 


130  EXODUS. 

difficulty  here,  which  calls  for  explanation  ;  and  a  similar  one  must  be 
admitted  to  exist  in  the  conversation  of  Moses  and  Joshua  as  they 
descend  the  mount,  after  the  story  of  Yahweh's  revelation  to  Moses  of 
what  has  taken  place  in  the  camp,  and  after  Moses'  intercession.  To 
the  special  pleader  an  interpretation  of  vs.  i8  which  assumes  that  Moses 
knows  the  facts,  but  conceals  his  knowledge  from  Joshua,  will  suffice. 
But  candor  will  admit  that  this  is  not  ihe  natural  sense  of  vv.  15-24,  if 
taken  by  themselves.  So,  too,  Moses'  sudden  anger  at  the  sight  of  the 
calf  and  dancing,  leading  him  to  dash  in  pieces  the  tables  of  stone,  which 
he  has  so  far  carried  from  the  top  of  the  mount,  in  contrast  with  the  dis- 
position manifested  in  vv.  iif.,  may  be  explained  by  saying  that  the  mere 
relation  of  Israel's  transgression  in  vv.  yff.  did  not  produce  in  Moses' 
mind  a  realizing  sense  of  the  facts,  such  as  was  first  aroused  by  actual 
sight  of  the  idol.  The  possibility  may  be  granted,  but  the  fact  still 
remains  that  vv.  15-24  would  be  a  great  deal  simpler  and  more  intelligi- 
ble if  vv.  7-14  had  not  preceded.  Again  vv.  19-24  bring  Moses  first 
within  sight  of  the  camp,  then  within  it,  and  the  restoration  of  order 
and  authority  is  already  effected  and  Aaron  apologizing,  when,  with  vs. 
25,  we  are  suddenly  carried  back  to  the  point  where  Moses  is  just  dis- 
covering the  insubordination  as  he  first  enters  the  gate,  and  summons  to 
his  aid  his  fellow-tribesmen.  Vv.  25-29,  in  fact,  when  taken  by  them- 
selves, treat,  not  apparently  of  religious  crime,  idolatry  or  the  like,  so 
much  as  rebellion,  insubordination,  mutiny,  suppressed  on  Moses' 
appearance  by  the  I.evites.  This  corresponds  well  with  the  expression 
"  broken  loose  "  (vs.  25  ;  cf.  v.  5)  and  with  that  reiterated  in  the  J  sec- 
tions as  descriptive  of  Israel's  sin,  "  stiff-neckedness  "  (cf.  Gen.  xxvii.  40 ; 
and  vs.  9  ;  xxxiii.  3;  xxxiv.  9)  ;  but  is  incompatible  with  the  entire  submis- 
siveness  of  the  people  in  vv.  2off.  To  make  the  Levites,  moreover,  the 
instruments  of  punishment  for  the  sin  of  vv.  1-6,  in  which  "  Aaron,  the 
Levite  "  was  chief  offender,  is  well-nigh  as  strange  as  to  find  him  imme- 
diately after  (in  the  priestly  legislation)  exalted  to  the  highest  possible 
priestly  rank,  and  his  offence  apparently  ignored,  while  the  people  are 
punished  thrice  over. 

For  all  these  inconsistencies  the  analysis  furnishes  the  key  and  solu- 
tion. J  and  E  have  each  here  a  fairly  complete  story  of  apostasy  by  the 
people,  Moses'  return  from  the  mount,  infliction  of  chastisement  (sup- 
pression of  mutiny),  his  intercession  with  Yahweh,  and  obtaining  of 
pardon.  When  separated,  each  is  self-consistent,  and  the  incongruities 
disappear.  The  process  of  analysis  is  comparatively  simple.  "Vv.  15-18 
(Moses  dt.n<\  Joshua  on  the  mount)  we  have  already  seen  must  be  con- 
nected with  xxiv.  12-14,  i8a/4i.      Its  V.  origin  is  in(lc|)en(lently  shown  by 


XXIV.  4.  ISRAELS  APOSTASY.  131 

the  use  of  Elohim  and  other  phraseology,  and  by  the  reference  to  the 
stone  tables  (cf.  xxiv.  12).  In  spite  of  Dillmann's  fruitless  attempt,  it  is 
impossible  to  separate  vv.  15-18  from  igff.  Moses' words  in  vs.  18 
anticipate  precisely  the  discovery  made  in  vs.  19.  Were  vv.  25ff.  the 
sequel,  Joshua  would  have  been  nearer  right  than  Moses  after  all.  But 
vs.  19,  and  especially  vv.  231.,  refer  to  almost  every  passage  and  clause 
in  vv.  1-6,  whose  E  origin  might  be  independently  determined  by  the  lan- 
guage (see  refs.j,  and  the  disfavor  shown  toward  Aaron  as  priest,  even 
if  it  were  not  here  presupposed.  Vv.  30-34  (see  vs.  31)  take  the  same 
view  of  the  people's  sin,  and  follow  perfectly  after  vs.  24.  Moreover  vs. 
34  is  the  necessary  antecedent  of  xxiii.  20,  as  we  saw  above.  The  other 
elements  of  the  chapter  agree  equally  together.  Vv.  7-14  have  been 
interpolated  and  expanded  by  Rje  (see  note  in  loc]  but  find  themselves 
naturally  in  place  before  vv.  25-29  as  soon  as  vv.  (5-24  are  removed. 
Only  vs.  35  seems  hard  to  reconcile  with  vs.  14  and  has  an  awkwardness 
of  structure  that  calls  for  explanation  (see  note  in  loc).  It  is  apparent, 
however,  from  the  story  itself  that  something  must  have  gone  before  in 
J,  as  well  as  in  E,  to  explain  the  prolonged  absence  of  Moses  upon  the 
mount.  The  missing  material  we  shall  find  has  been  utilized  by  Rje  or 
Rd  in  ch.  xxxiv,  to  form  the  content  of  the  story  of  a  second  covenant 
and  new  "  tables  of  stone.y,"  made  in  a  second  forty  days'  stay  of  Moses 
on  "  mount  Sinai." 


(J)  ^Aiid  he  said  unto  Moses,  Come  up  unto  Yahweh,  24 
thou,  and  'Aaron,  Nadab,  and  Ahihu,  and  seventy  of 
the  elders  of  Israel;  and  worship  ye  afar  oif:  ^and    2 
Moses  alone  shall  come  near  unto  Yahweh ;  but  they 
shall  not  come  near ;  neither  shall  the  people  go  up 
(E)  AVitll  him.*     *And  Moses  came  and  told  the  people  all    3 
(Rd)  (E)  the  words  of  Yahweh,  and  all  the  ^judgments  :   and  '^all 
the  people  answered  with  one  voice,  and  said,  All  the  words 
which  Yahweh  hath  spoken  will  we  do.     ^And  Moses  wrote    4 
all  the  words  of  Yahweh,  and  ^rose  up  early  in  the  morning, 

119:13,24;  vv.  9-11.  2Ct.  VS.  5  ;  cf.  19:22.  •19:12,21,  24:34:3.  ^20:22.  »2i  :  I 
'19  :  8  ;  VS.  7  ;  Jos.  24 :  i6.    'Cf.  34  :  27.    *'Gen.  20  :  8  ;  21  :  14  ;  22  :  3  etc. 

*  Aaron,  Nadab  and  Abihu  can  only  be  "  the  priests  who  come  near  before 
Yahweh"  of  xix.  22,  in  contrast  with  the  "  young  men"  of  E,  vs.  5.  The  insti- 
tution of  the  Seventy  Elders  (prototype  of  the  Sanhedrin  ?)  is  related  by  E,  in 
a  different  connection  (Nu.  xi.  i6f.,  24-29.) 


132  EXODUS.  XXIV.  5. 

and  ^builded  an  altar  under  the    mount,  and  ^"twelve  pillars, 

5  according  to  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  And  he  sent 
^'young  men  of  the  children  of  Israel,  ^-which  offered  burnt 
offerings,  and  sacrificed  peace  offerings  of  oxen  unto  Yahweh. 

6  And  Moses  took  half  of  the  blood,  and  put  it  in  basons  ;  and 

7  half  of  the  blood  he  sprinkled  on  the  altar.  And  he  took 
"the  book  of  the  covenant,  and  read  in  the  audience  of  the 
people  :  "and  they  said.  All  that  Yahweh  hath  spoken  will  we 

8  do,  and  be  obedient.  And  Moses  took  the  blood,  and  sprink- 
led it  on  the  people,  and  said.  Behold  the  blood  of  the  cove- 
nant, which  Yahweh  hath  made  with  you  concerning  all  these 

9  (J)  words*—    ^^Theii  went  up  Moses,  and  Aaron,  Nadab, 

10  and  Abihu,  and  seventy  of  the  elders  of  Israel :  and 
they  saw  the  Ood  of  Israel  ;  and  there  was  under  his 
feet  as  it  were  a  paved  work  of  sapphire  stone,  and  as 

11  it  were  the  very  heaven  for  clearness.  And  upon  the 
^•^nobles  of  the  children  of  Israel  he  laid  not  his  hand  : 
and  they  beheld  God,  f  and  "did  eat  and  drink. 

12  (E)  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Come  up  to  me  into 
the  mount,  and  be  there  :  and  I  will  give  thee  the  tables  of 
stone,  and    the  law  and  the   commandment, — which  I    have 

13  written, — J  that  thou  mayest  teach  them.     And  Moses  rose 


"Gen.  35  :  7  ;  Ex.  17  :  15. 

!"Gen.  28  :  ig 

i;  31  :45  ;  35:20; 

Jos.  4  : 

9; 

24  : 

26  ;  ct.  23  :  24. 

iCt.  19  :  22.     >22o  :  24  ;  32 

:  6.     i3Vs.  3. 

'*Vs.  3  and  refs. 

16Vv. 

if.; 

;  19  : 

13,22.      >«Jud. 

d:2.     "Gen.  31:54. 

*  In  vs.  8  tran.slate  with  margin  "  upon  all  these  conditions."  The  clause  in 
small  type  in  vs.  3  "and  all  the  judgments"  is  of  course  an  interpolation  sub- 
•sequent  to  the  incorporation  of  the  Book  of  Judgments  (ch.  xxi.  f.)  in  its  pres- 
ent position ;  see  Analysis  above  p,  m.  Accordingly  we  find  no  mention  of 
•'  the  judgments  "  in  vv.  3b  and  4.— With  vs.  8  we  reach  the  conclusion  of  the 
two  long  displaced  sections  xx.  22-26  ;  xxiii.  lo-xxiv.  8,  and  xxi.  i— xxiii.  9, 
and  the  next  E  paspge,  vv.  12-14,  joins  directly  upon  the  account  of  the  first 
propounding  of  the  Covenant,  x.\.  1-21  ;  xi.v.  3-8. 

^"  God"  {/ia-E/o/iim)m  vs.  iib  is  not  aiv  exception  to  the  practise  of  J. 
On  the  contrary,  no  writer  of  the  Hexateuch  is  so  sensitive  to  the  appropriate- 
ness of  Elohim  in  passages  where  the  sense  requires  it.  Cf.  Dill,  in  loc.  and 
Art.  IV.,  and  see  refs. 

i  Insert  the  clause  "  which  I  have  written  "  after  "tables  of  stone  "  (see 
Analysis  ]>.   112);  or   transpose  the  whole  latter  part  of  vs.  12,  reading  :  "that  I 


XXXU.  I.  ISRAELS  APOSTASY.  133 

up,  and  ^^Joshua  his   minister  :  and    Moses  went  up  into  the 
^'^mount    of    Crod.     And   he  said    unto    the  -'elders,  *Tarry  ye  14 
here   for    us,  until  we    come   again    unto   you  :   and,    behold, 
^^ Aaron  and    Hur  are  with  you  :   whosoever  --hath    a  cause, 
(P)  let  him  come  near  unto  them.     '^^A?id  Moses  ivent  up  into  15 
the  mounts  and  the  cloud  covered  the  /nouitt.     A /id  the  '^^glory  of  16 
Yahtveh  abode  upon   mount  Sinai,  and  the   cloud  covered  it  '^six 
days  :  and  the  seventh  day  he  called  unto  Moses  out  of  the    midst 
of  the  cloud.     '^And  the  appearance  of  the  glory  of  Yahweh  was  17 
like  devouring  fire  on  the  top  of  the  mount  '^in  the  eyes  of  the  child- 
ren of  Israel.     And  Moses   entered  itito  the    midst  of  the  cloud,  18 
(E)  and  went  up   into    the   mount  :  -^^and   Moses  was   in  the 
mount  forty  days  and  forty  nights. f     *  *  *  * 

(P)  And  he  gave  unto  Moses,  when  he  had  nuide  an    end  of  %\ 
communing  luith  him  upon.  Mount  Sinai,  ^the  two  tables  of  the  testi- 
(E)  mony, — [  .  .  .  ]  'tables  of  stone,  written  with  the  finger 
of  God.— t 

And  when   the   people  saw   that  Moses  Melayed  to  come  32 
down  from  the   mount,  the   people  gathered    themselves  to- 
gether unto   Aaron,  and  said   unto   him,  Up,  make   us  gods, 
which  shall  go  before  us  ;  for  as  for  this   Moses,  the   man 
that  brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  we  know  not 


'-33:11;  Nu. 

II  :28 

•    "3:1 

;    18  :  5.    2ovv.    I,  9. 

2'i7:i2.    ", 

8:  i5ff.: 

21  :  3  and  refs. 

'3i6  :  10  ;  40:  34. 

2440 

:34-  35- 

^^29  :  35-37  ;  Lev.  13. 

2«Nu.  9  :  15. 

2'Nu. 

14  :  10  ;  16  :  19  ; 

17:7.      ssDt.  9: 

9.  II  ; 

cf.  E.x. 

34  :  28.      '25  :  16,  21  ; 

32  :  15.      224  : 

12  ;  32  : 

16  :  Dt.  9  :  10. 

may  give  thee  the  tables  of  stone  which  I  have  written,  and  may  teach  thee  the 
law  and  the  commandment."  The  latter  alternative  requires  a  single  minute 
change  in  the  Hebrew  text. 

*  "  Harmonistic  change  from  "  people  "  to  agree  with  vv.  9-1 1.  .See  above 
Analysis. 

t  Chapters  x.w. — xxxi.,  which  follow,  and  Ex.  xxxiv.  29-Num.  x.  10,  both  of 
which  we  omit  as  immaterial,  are  paralleled  by  a  few  lines  of  the  narrative  of  JE 
•which  relate  the  construction  of  a  wooden  ark  (Dt.  x.  i,  3)  for  the  tables  of 
stone  and  the  arrangement  of  a  "  Tent  of  Meeting,"  Ex.  xxxiii.  yff.,  after  the 
people's  sin,  and  preparatory  to  the  departure  for  Canaan. 

%  Verse  i8b  would  seem  to  have  been  taken  from  before  xxxii.  15.  .See  Art. 
IV. 


134  EXODUS.  XXXII.  8. 

2  what  is  become  of  him.  And  Aaron  said  unto  them,  Break 
off  the  '^golden  rings,  which  are  in  the  ears  of  your  wives,  of 
your  sons,  and  of  your  daughters,  and  bring  them  unto  me.. 

3  And  all  the  people  brake  off  the  golden  rings  which  were  in 

4  their  ears,  and  brought  them  unto  Aaron.  And  he  received 
it  at  their  hand,  and  fashioned  it  with  a  graving  tool,  and 
made  it  a  molten  calf:  and  they  said,  ^These  be  thy  gods,* 
O  Israel,  which  brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

5  And  when  Aaron  saw  [this,j  he  built  an  altar  before  it  ;  and 
Aaron  made  proclamation,  and  said,  '*To-morrow  shall  be  a 

6  feast  to  Yahweh.  ^And  they  rose  up  early  on  the  morrow, 
and  Goffered  burnt  offerings,  and  brought  peace  offerings  ; 
and  the  people  sat  down  to  eat  and  to  drink,  and  rose  up  to 
play.   [  .  .  .   ] 

7  (J)  "And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  Go,  get  thee 
down;  for  thy  people,  which  thou  hroughtest  up  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  ^have  corrupted   themselves : 

8  (Rje)  they  have  turned  aside  quickly  out  of  the  way  which  I  commanded 
tliem :  ^they  have  made  them  a  molten   calf,  and  have  worshipped  it,  and 

2Gen.  35  :4;  Jud.  8  :  24-27;  ch.  12  :35.  ^20:  2  ;  I  Kgs.  12  :  28.  •'I  Kgs.  12  :  32.  ^2^  ;  4  and 
refs.     624  :  -  and  refs.     ''g  :  24.     *Gen.  6  :  iif.  [  .  .  .  ]     'vs.  4  :  I  Kgs.   12  :  28. 

*  In.  vv.  I  and  4  render  with  margin  in  the  singular  "  a  god,"  "  this  is  thy 
God."  Vs.  5  shows,  however,  that  the  god  represented  was  intended  for  no 
other  than  Yahweh.  For  "calf"  v.  4ff.  read  "little  bull."  It  is  not  the  age 
of  the  animal  which  occasions  the  change  from  the  ordinary  term  for  bull  but 
its  diminutive  size.  For  all  to  whom  a  Mosaic  or  very  ancient  date  for  this 
writing  is  not  an  unalterable  assumption,  the  story  of  the  golden  bull  must 
needs  suggest  the  antii)athy  of  Hosea  (an  Ephrainiite)  and  the  other  prophets 
to  the  "sin  of  Samaria"  (Hos.  viii.  4-6),  the  golden  bulls  of  Jeroboam  I.  (Cf. 
I  Kings  xii.  28).  Yet  these  were  unquestionably  intended  by  their  originator 
to  be  an  acceptable  tribute  to  Yahweh,  and  gave  no  offense,  so  far  as  their 
reported  words  and  actions  show,  to  Elijah,  Elishah,  or  their  successors  among 
the  earlier  prophets.  EphrAim's  "  firstling  bullock  "  is  a  matter  of  pride  even 
to  the  poet  of  Dt,  xxxiii.  17.  Hence  the  difficulty  of  carrying  back  the  docu- 
ment E  (at  least  in  its  present  form)  to  a  period  earlier  than  the  eighth  cen- 
tury v..  c.  The  author  of  this  narrative  seems  to  have  as  deep  an  antipathy  to 
the  Aaronic  priesthood  as  to  "  the  sin  of  Samaria."  Cf.  the  account  of  the 
inauguration  of  the  bull  worship  at  Dan  and  Bethel,  I  Kings  xii.  26-33,  "oting 
especially  the  feast  "  at  a  time  of  his  own  devising,"  vs.  32  (Ex.  xxxii.  5),  and 
comparing  vs.  28,  "  behold  thy  f'.od,  O  Israel,  which  brought  thee  up  out  of 
the  land  of  Egv])!,"  with  Ex.  xxxii.  -i- 


XXXll.y. 


ISRAEL'S  APOSTASY.  135 


have    sacrificed    unto  it,  and    said,    These    be  thy    gods,    O  Israel,    which 
brought  thee   up  out  of  the   land  of  Egypt.     [  .   .  .  ]     And  Yahvveh  said     9 

(J)  unto  Moses,  I  liave  seeu  this  people,  and,  behold,  it 
is  a  '  stiitiiecked  people :  "uow  therefore  let  me  alone,  lo 
that  my  wrath  may  wax  hot  against  them,  and  that 
I  may  consnme  them:  and  I  will   make  of  thee  a 
great  nation.    And  Moses  besought  Yahweh  his  CJod,  1 1 
and  said,  Yahweh,  why    doth   thy   wrath  wax  hot 
against  thy  people,  which  thou  hast  brought  forth 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  with  great  power  and  with 
a  mighty  hand?    Wherefore  should  the  Egyptians  12 
speak,  saying.  For  evil  did  he  bring  them  forth,  to 
slay  them  in  the  mountains,  and  to  consume  them 
from  the  face  of  the  earth?    Turn  from  thy  fierce 
wrath,  and  ^-repent  of  this  evil  against  thy  people. 

(Rd)  liiRemember    Abraham,  Isaac,  and    Israel,  thy    servants,   to   whom  13 
thou  i*swarest  by  thine  own  self,  and  saidst  unto  them,  I  will  multiply  your 
seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  all  this  land  that   I  have  spoken  of  will  I 
(J)  give  unto  your  seed,  and  they  shall   inherit   it  forever.     And  Yah-   14 

weh  ^^repented  of  the  evil  which  he  said  he  would  do 
unto  his  people.    [  .  o  .  ]* 

'"33:  3>  5;  34^9-  "Nu.  14  :  n-24.  i-Vs.  14;  Gen.  6  :  6f.  '^Gen.  8  :  i:  q  :  isf ;  19  •  29;  30- 
22  ;  Ex.  2  :  24;  6  :  5.     ''•Gen.  22  :  16. 

*  Vv.  7-14  constitute  an  interruption  of  the  storv  of  vv.  1-6,  i  5ff .  ;  cf.  vv.  17 
ff.  and  Analysis.  Moreover  the  atonement  secured  in  vv  12-14  is  still  to  be 
obtained  in  vv.  30  ff.;  and  vs.  13  at  least  is  from  Rje  or  Rd,  for  it  quotes 
Gen.  xxii.  16,  (Rje)  and  is  late  in  style  and  language.  Yet  the  substance  of  the 
passage  is  certainly  primitive  and  not  redactional,  for  it  is  impossible  to  attrib- 
ute such  resemblances  as  that  of  vv.  9-12  with  Num.  xiv.  11-25  (J)  to  imita- 
tion, and  vv.  7  and  14  show  the  language  of  J  (see  refs.)  Just  how  far  the 
redaction  has  gone  in  vs.  8  (cf.  vs.  4)  cannot  be  determined.  It  is  not  impos- 
sible that  the  story  of  mutiny  in  the  camp,  presupposed  by  vv.  24-29  in  J's 
narrative,  may  have  included  a  golden  bull  story  similar  to  E's,  and  this  idea 
is  favored  by  the  fact  that  Rje  combines  it  with  E's.  In  that  case  it  is  highly 
improbable  that  the  offense  was  attributed  to  Aaron,  the  representative  head  of 
the  Jerusalem  priesthood,  who  in  J  is  charged  with  the  priesthood  even  in 
Egypt  (iv.  15),  and  whose  office  is  treated  with  such  respect  (xix.  22).  One 
might  imagine  something  like  the  following  as  a  possibility.  Vs.  35  which  has 
the  style  of  J,  but  is  scarcely  compatible  with  vs.  14,  and  whose  final  clause  is 
suspiciously  awkward,  may  have  read   originally  "  And  Yahweh  smote  Nadab 


136  EXODUS.  XXXI I.  24. 

15  (P)  And  Moses  turned,  and  went  down  from  the  mount,  with 
the  tivo  tables  oj  the  testimony  in  his  hand,  ^^tabl6s  that  were  writ- 
ten 071  both  their  sides;  on  the  one  side  and  on  the  other  were  they 

16  (E)  written.  ^"^And  the  tables  were  the  work  of  God,  and 
the  writing  was  the  writing  of  God,  graven  upon  the  tables. 

17  [  ...  J  And  when  ^'Joshua  heard  the  noise  of  the  people 
as    they    shouted,    he    said  unto  Moses,  There  is  a  noise  of 

18  war  in  the  camp.  And  he  said,  It  is  not  the  voice  of  them 
that  shout  for  mastery,  neither  is  it  the  voice  of  them  that 
cry  for  being  overcome:  but  the  noise  of  them  that  ^^sing  do 

19  I  hear.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  he  came  nigh  unto 
the  camp,  that  he  saw  ^^the  calf  and  the  dancing:  and  Moses' 
anger  waxed   hot,  and   he  cast  the  tables  out  of  his  hands, 

20  and  brake  them  ^"beneath  the  mount.  And  he  took  the  calf 
which  they  had  made,  and  burnt  it  with  fire,  and  ground  it 
to   powder,   and  strewed   it    upon  the  -"water,  and  made  the 

21  children  of  Israel  drink  of  it.  And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron, 
What  did  this  people  unto  thee,  that  thou  hast  -^brought  a 

22  great  sin  upon  them?  And  Aaron  said.  Let  not  the  anger 
of  my  lord  wax  hot:  thou  knowest  the  people,  that  they  are 

23  [set]  on  evil.  ^"^For  they  said  unto  me.  Make  us  gods,  which 
shall  go  before  us:  for  as  for  this  Moses,  the  man  that 
brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  we  know  not  what 

24  is  become  of  him.  And  I  said  unto  them.  Whosoever  hath 
any  gold,  let  them  break  it  off;  so  they  gave  it  me:  and  I 
cast   it    into    the  fire,    and  there  came  out  this  calf.  [  .  .  ■  ] 

J*Cf.  34:29.  '«24:i>.  '■24:13-  '"Vv.  1-6.  "•24:4.  -'^iT-f'-  -'Gen.  20:  u.  -•■'Vv.  i-6. 
and  Abihii  because  they  (made  the  calf.')."  These  two  sons  of  Aaron  are 
apparently  introduced  as  priests  in  xxiv.  i,  but  disappear  entirely  from  J  from 
this  point  on.  J  must  have  traced  the  line  of  Aaronic  descent  as  E  does  (Dt. 
X.  6;  Jos.  xxiv.  33)  through  Eleazar,  or  as  P  does,  through  Eleazar  and  Itha- 
mar.  Now  Prelates  (Lev.  x.  iff.)  a  story  of  how  Nadab  and  Abihu  were  smit- 
ten by  Yahweh  for  offering  with  strange  fire.  It  is  practically  certain  that  P 
derived  this  story  from  JE,  and  as  E  seems  to  know  but  one  son  of  Aaron, 
Eleazar  (Dt.  x.  6;  Jos.  xxiv.  33),  P  took  it  from  J.  Now  if  J  had  a  story  cor- 
responding in  some  degree  to  that  of  Ex.  xxxii.  1-6,  and  of  wliicii  x.\xii.  35  is 
the  conclusion,  the  ill-starred  "  Nadab  and  Abihu  "  are  the  characters  for  it. 
In  vs.  35.  however,  Rp  would  be  forced,  in  spite  of  vs.  14,  to  alter  this  to  "  peo- 
ple," on  account  of  Lev.  x.   rff. 


XXXII.  25.  ISRA1::L-S  APOSTASY.  137 

(J)   And    when    Moses    saw    that    the    people    were  25 

(Rje)  ^broken  loose  \   ^°^  Aaron  had    let   them  loose  for  a  derision 
(J)  among  their  enemies :  *   theil  MoseS  StOOd    ill   tllC   gate   Of  26 

the  camp,  and  said,  ^Whoso  is  on  Yaliw  eh's  side,  [let 
him  come]  unto  me.    And  all  the  sons  of  Levi  gath- 
ered themselves  together  unto   him.    And   he    said  27 
unto  them.  Thus  saith  Yahweh,  the  Ood  of  Israel, 
'^Put  ye  every  man  his  sword  upon  his  thigh,  and  go 
to  and  fro  from  gate  to  gate  throughout  the  camp, 
and  '^slay  every  man  his  brother,  and  every  man  his 
companion,   and  every  man  his  neighbor.    And  the  28 
sons  of  Levi  did  according  to  the  w  ord  of  Moses  :  and 
there  fell  of  the  people  tliat  day  about  three  thou- 
sand men.    And  Moses  said,   "Consecrate  yourselves  29 
to-day    to  Yahweh,  yea,  every  man  against  his  son, 
and  against  his  brother ;  that  he  may  ^bestow  upon 
(E)  you  a  blessing  this  day.f     And  it  came  to  pass  on  30 

235  :  4.  ^*Jud.  7  :  18  ;  9  :  44.  '^sju^.  3  :  i6  ;  i  Sam.  25  :  13.  S'^Nu.  25  :  3.  '-'Dt.  33  :  9  ;  Jud. 
17:  10-12.    2*Jud.  I  :  15. 

*  In  vs.  25b  Rje  attempts  to  make  the  "breaking  loose  "  of  the  people  refer 
to  the  story  of  idolatry  in  vv.  1-6,  but  apparently,  from  Moses'  procedure  in  vv. 
26ff.  and  other  allusions,  it  referred  originally  to  something  more  of  the  nature 
of  a  rebellion.  Probably  the  interpolator  of  vs.  25b  took  25a  in  the  sense 
understood  by  the  A.  V.,  translating  "naked."  It  is  difficult  otherwise  to 
understand  the  "  whispering  "  or  "  derision  "  of  Israel's  enemies,  which  neither 
idolatry  (practised  by  themselves),  nor  rebellion,  could  give  occasion  to. 

t  In  vs.  29  appears  the  aetiological  significance  of  the  story.  (See  R.  V. 
margin:  "  Heb.  fill  your  hand.")  The  Hebrew  idiom  for  "  consecrate  "  is 
"fill  the  hand."  From  Jud.  xvii.  10-12  we  might  infer  that  the  expression 
referred  originally  to  payment  for  services.  Better,  jDrovide  with  offerings. 
In  the  story  before  us  the  "  consecration  "  of  the  beni-Levi  to  the  priesthood  is 
explained  aetiologically  by  their  having  "filled  their  hand  "  with  the  blood  of 
their  brethren.  The  "  lilessing  "  bestowed  upon  them  was  therefore  the  priest- 
hood, in  association  with  Aaron  (in  place  of  Nadab  and  Abihu  .')  We  may 
perhaps  even  trace,  in  this  subsequent  elevation  of  the  Levites  to  equality 
with  the  original  priests  of  iv.  14;  xi.x.  22  ;  xxiv.  i,  the  germ  of  that  distinction 
between  priest  and  Levite  which  acquired  increasing  importance  in  the  later 
codes  (See  Genesis  of  Genesis  pp.  54,  '^i).  Dt.  xxxiii.  8f.  contains  an  appar- 
ent allusion  to  this  narrative,  and  if,  as  we  contend,  this  poem  is  from  the  pen 
of   T,  the  authorship  of   vv.  25-29  would  be  established,   and  at  the  same  time 


138  EXODUS.  XXXII.  35. 

the  morrow,  that  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  Ye  have  sin- 
ned a  great  sin  :  and  now  I  will  go  up  unto  Yahweh  ;  perad- 

31  venture  I  shall  make  atonement  for  your  sin.  And  Moses 
returned  unto  Yahweh,  and  said,  '•"'Oh,  this  people  have  sin- 

32  ned  a  great  sin,  and  have  made  them  ^"gods  of  gold.  Yet 
now,  if  thou  wilt  forgive  their  sin — ;  and  if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray 

33  thee,  out  of  thy  book  which  thou  hast  written.  And  Yah- 
weh said   unto   Moses,  Whosoever   hath   sinned  against  me, 

34  him  will  I  blot  out  of  my  book.  ^^And  now  go,  lead  the 
people  unto  [the  place]  of  which  I  have  spoken  unto  thee  : 
^"^behold,  mine  angel  shall  go  before  thee  :  ^^nevertheless  in 
the  day  when  1  visit,  I  will  visit  their  sin  upon  them.* 

35  (J)  ^*Aiid  Yahweh  smote  the  people  because  they  made 

the  Calf^  which  Aaron  made.f 

-"Gen.  50  :  17.  sojo  :  23.  s'Cf.  33  :  1-3.  ^223  ;  20  ;  Cf.  3^  :  2f.  ^^jos.  24  :  igf. ;  ch.  23  :  21  ; 
ct.  34-6f. :  Nu.  14  :  igf.     ^''12  :  20:  Nu.  11  :  33. 

light  would  be  thrown  upon  the  priestly  interest  of  this  document ;  for  l)t. 
x.x.xiii.  may  be  assigned  with  considerable  probability  to  one  of  the  Jerusalem 
(Aaronic)  priesthood.  l)t.  .\.  i-ii  contains  also  an  unmistakable  reference,^ 
including  some  material  now  missing,  when  the  interpolated  verses  6  and  7  are 
removed  and  shows  that  this  institution  of  a  Levitical  priesthood  was  prelimi- 
nary to  the  account  of  the  construction  of  the  Tent,  Ark,  etc.  Num.  x.xv.  6-13 
affords  a  priestly  parallel.  There  are,  however,  no  decisive  linguistic  criteria 
to  place  the  authorship  of  Ex.  xxxii.  25-29  beyond  dispute.  But  it  is  clear, 
that  if  this  passage  be  assigned  to  E  it  would  be  almost  necessary  to  attribute 
vv.  19-24  and  3off.  to  J,  which  is  quite  impossible;  and  moreover  xxiv.  3-8 
would  have  to  retreat  from  its  proper  place  at  tlie  conclusion  of  the  Iloreb 
stories  to  a  place  before  ch.  xxxii.  ;  since  in  xxiv.  5  there  are  still  no  priests. 

*  TheLXX.  supply  the  missing  word  in  vs.  34.  '•  The  place  "  is  not  sjiccifi- 
cally  named  in  what  remains  to  us  of  E,  but  xiii.  ijff.  shows  that  Canaan  is 
distinctly  in  mind  from  the  outset.  Intercession  with  confession  of  sin  are 
characteristic  features  of  E's  narrative.  Cf.  (len.  xx.  7  ;  1.  17;  i  Sam.  ch.  xii., 
etc.,  and  see  references.  Of  course  the  intercession  of  IVIoses  and  relenting  of 
Yahweh  imply  that  the  punishment  has  not  been  already  inflicted,  as  related  in 
vv.  25-29,  nor  can  it  have  been  inflicted  immediately  after,  as  in  vs.  35. 

t  See  note  on  vs.  14.  Unless  some  other  reading  than  "  iieojile  "  he  adopted 
the  present  verse  will  be  ditticult  to  harmonize  with  both  vs.  14  and  vv.  3off. 
An  explanation  without  emendation  may  be.  found,  by  supposing  vv.  9-14  to 
have  been  displaced  by  Rje  from  ofttT  vs.  35.  We  should  then  miss  only  the 
statement  of  IVIoses'  ascent  of  Sinai  to  intercede.  Something  perhaps  could  be 
made  out   from    a  careful    study  of  l)t.  ix.  f. ;  but  the  problem  of  these  two 


RENE IV AL  OF  THE  COVENANT.  139 

3  Chh.  xxxiii.  f.     Renewal  of  the  Covenant  and  Departure 
FROM  Sinai. 

ANAL  YSIS. 

Moses  receives  command  to  depart  without  Yahweh,  to  the  people's 
great  distress  ;  xxxiii.  i-6.  Practise  of  Moses  in  regard  to  "  the  Tent  of 
Meeting  ;  "  vv.  7-11.  Moses  expostulates  with  Yahweh  against  dismissal 
without  the  divine  Presence,  and  obtains  a  mitigation  of  the  sentence  ;  vv. 
12-16.  He  obtains  the  further  promise  of  a  revelation  of  Yahweh's 
glory;  vv.  17-23.  Yahweh  directs  Moses  to  prepare  stone  tables  and 
again  ascend  the  mount  with  the  former  precautions.  Here  he  receives 
the  promised  revelation  and  entreats  the  forgiveness  of  Israel's  sin  ; 
xxxiv.  1-9.  Yahweh  proposes  to  make  a  covenant,  giving  Moses  ten 
commandments  for  the  people,  which  he  is  to  write  upon  the  tables  of 
stone.     Moses  remains  on  Sinai  40  days  without  sustenance  ;   vv.  10-28. 

The  most  singularly  and  obviously  inappropriate  element  in  chh.  xxxiii. 
f.  is  xxxiii.  7-1 1,  describing  the  practise  of  Moses  and  Joshua  in  regard  to 
the  "  Tent  of  Meeting  "  {ohel  moed).  It  is  quite  apparent  that  this  was 
the  place  of  worship,  not  only  because  :  "  Every  one  which  sought  Yah- 
weh, went  out  unto  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  which  was  without  the  camp," 
vs.  7,  but  because  the  Pillar  of  Cloud  occupies  it,  and  [God  ]  "  speaks 
with  Moses  "  there.  Yet  this  cannot  be  the  Tabernacle  of  the  Testimony 
{mishkati  ha-eduth),  though  in  P^this  also  bears  the  same  name,  primarily 
because  we  have  yet  to  hear  (chh.  xxxv.  ff.)  of  the  erection  of  the  Taber- 
nacle and  its  occupation  by  the  Cloud  ;  further  because  the  access  of  all  the 
people  to  Yahweh  is  heVe  perfectly  simple  (vs.  7),  and  instead  of  the  elab- 
orate institutions  and  ritual  of  the  priestly  law,  with  its  inner  cordon  of 
Aaronic  priests  and  outer  circle  of  Levites  (Num.  iii.  10.  ^Z  ;  xviii.  7),  all  is 
here  simplicity  itself.  The  Ephraimite  Joshua  appears  as  sole  custodian 
of  the  shrine  ;  Aaron  has  disappeared  ;  Moses  pitches  the  Tent  alone,  and 
enters  it  freely  to  speak  with  Yahweh,  and  the  Tent  is  equally  accessible 
to  '•  everyone."  Moreover  fhe  directions  in  regard  to  pitching  the  "  Taber- 
nacle "  in  the  centre  of  the  camp  (Num.  ii.  17  ;  Ex.  x.xv.  8)  are  as  explicit  as 
the  statement  here  that  Moses  was  accustomed  to  pitch  "  the  Tent  "  "  with- 
out the  camp."     It  has  been  maintained  *  that  this  "  Tent  of  Meeting  "  was 

chapters  is  extremely  intricate.  The  latter  part  of  vs.  35  is  too  awkward  to  be 
original.  The  redactional  element  may  therefore  include  all  of  the  verse 
e.\cept,  "  And  Yahweh  smote." 

*So  W.  H.  Green  "The  Pentateuchal  Question,"  H^-hraua  viii.  (Jan.  1S92) 
p.  60.     "The  tense  of    the   verbs  in  vv.  7-r  i    denotes    habitual    action ;  l)ut    it 


140  EXODUS. 

a  more  primitive  shrine  or  place  of  worship  employed  by  Moses,  before 
the  construction  of  the  Tabernacle,  and  subsequently  superseded  by  the 
latter.  But  in  Num.  x.  33  the  sanctuary  is  still  "  without  the  camp  ;  "  in 
Num.  xi.  16.  24,  26,  27  ;  xii.  4f.  10  ;  Ut^xxxi.  15,  it  is  still  "the  Tent  of 
Meeting,"  "  without  the  camp  "  which  is  in  use;  Joshua  and  Moses  are 
in  charge  ;  the  cloudy  pillar  stands  at  its  door ;  in  all  respects  the  simple 
provisions  of  Ex.  xxxiii.  7-1 1  are  assumed  to  obtain,  without  any  more 
trace  there  than  here  of  the  elaborate  ritual  of  the  "  Tabernacle  "  having 
superseded  it.  It  is  necessary  to  admit  either  that  we  have  two  mutually 
incompatible  representations  of  the  worship  during,  the  Exodus,  or  else 
that  there  were  sinmltaneously  two  different  sanctuaries,  one  within,  one 
without  the  camp,  contrasting  with  one  another  in  comparative  simplicity 
or  elaborateness  of  ritual  as  above  pointed  out.  But  the  fact  that  Moses 
gives  to  "  the  Tent,"  of  whose  construction  or  existence  we  have  so  far 
heard  nothing,  a  name  subsequently  (see  refs.)  found  applied  to  the 
sanctuary  where  the  regulations  of  vv.  7-1 1  obtain,  shows  beyond  ques- 
tion that  the  author  here  describes  the  origin  of  a  lasting  institution. 
That  the  story  has  been  mutilated  at  its  beginning  is  apparent ;  but  it  is 
also  apparent  that  Rp  could  not  have  left  the  story  of  the  construction  of 
this  Tent,  to  stand  side  by  side  with  that  of  the  Tabernacle,  chh.  xxxv.  ff. 

Besides  the  story  of  the  institution  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting  we  have  in 
chh.  xxxiii  f.  the  relation  of  two  other  incidents,  with  neither  of  which 
the  story  of  the  institution  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting  has  any  real  connec- 
tion ;  one  of  which  it  flagrantly  interrupts ;  both  of  which  are  paralleled 
by  similar  narratives  assigned  already  to  E.  These  three  elements  of 
chh.  xxxiii.  f.  we  may  discuss  in  the  order  in  which  they  stand.  The  first 
is  Moses'  intercession  for  Yahweh's  forgiveness  of  the  people's  sin  and 
for  his  guiding  presence.  It  is  broken  into  three  parts,  first  by  the 
second  element  relating  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  second  by  a  few  verses 
of  the  third  element,  the  story  of  the  new  Covenant,  which  separate 
xxxiv.  6-9,  the  true  sequel  of  xxxiii.  12-33,  f''"'Ti  this  passage. 

Omitting  those  portions  relating  to  other  subjects  than  Moses'  Inter- 
cession, and  reading  consecutivc-ly  xxxiii.  1-3,  12-23  :  >:>:-^iv.  6-9,  we  can- 
not fail  to  be  impressed  first    of  all  with  the  wonderful  power  and  beauty 

cannot  hence  be  inferred  that  this  was  the  iieiinanent  sanctuary  used  through- 
out the  journeyings  in  the  desert.  It  simply  describes  the  usage  during  the 
time  of  this  provisional  sanctuary,  extending  it  may  be  to  the  erection  of  the 
Tabernacle  proper."  In  order  to  avoid  admitting  the  identity  of  this  Tent  of 
Meeting  Ex.  xxxiii.  7-1 1  with  that  of  Num.  xi.  and  x^i.  Prof.  Green  actually 
denies  [Hcbnuca  viii.  p.  183)  that  the  expressions  of  the  latter  chh.  indicate  a 
position  outside  the  camp,  though  he  admits  that  they  do  in  lv\.  xxxiii. 


RENEWAL  OF   THE  COVENANT.  141 

of  this  description  of  Moses'  pleading  with  Yahweh.  Its  parallel  in  E, 
we  found  in  xxxii.  30-34,  a  truly  sublime  passage  ;  but  here  the  interces- 
sion is  prolonged  to  an  extent  unexampled  save  in  J  ;  moreover  the  peti- 
tioner advances  from  stage  to  stage  as  in  the  intercessioiiiof  Abraham, 
Gen.  xviii.  23-33,  until,  when  the  climax  is  reached  in  xxxiv.  6f.,  and  Yah- 
wehjhas  revealed  his  real  nature  of  compassion,  Moses  falls  on  his  face, 
confesses  all  the  "  stiff-neckedness  "  of  the  people  (cf.  xxxiii.  3),  and 
entreats  the  complete  withdrawal  of  the  sentence  of  displeasure  with 
which  the  interview  began.  The  result  though  wanting  can  be  anticipated. 
It  is  referred  to,  and  the  intercession  itself  quoted  at  considerable  length, 
in  the  similar  intercession  of  Moses,  Num.  xiv.  11-24,  another  character- 
istic J  passage.  But  the  element  in  hand  itself  refers  to  J  passages  (cf. 
xxxiii.  I  with  Gen.  xv.  yff.;  xxviii.  I3ff.  etc.).  The  phrases  "  land  flowing 
with  milk  and  honey."  xxxiii.  3  ;  "  find  grace  in  the  eyes  of,"  Num.  xi.  1 1, 
15  ;  Ex.  xxxiii.  12-22, passi'/n  ;  xxxiv.  9  ;  "rest,"  for  the  promised  inherit- 
ance in  Canaan  xxxiii.  14;  "  upon  the  face  of  \.\\t  ground"  (for  "  earth  "), 
xxxiii.  16  ;  "stiff-necked,"  xxxiii.  3  ;  xxxiv.  9;  "  mercy  and  truth,"  xxxiv. 
6  (cf.  xxxiii.  19)  ;  "  Lord  "  {Adonai)  to  Yahweh,  xxxiv.  9;  are  all  peculiar 
to  J.  Moreover  the  allusions  to  Israel's  sin  are  such  as  presuppose  Ex. 
xxxii.  7-14  (cf.  "  stiff-necked,"  nowhere  else  in  the  Old  Test,  save  in 
xxxii.  9  ;  xxxiii.  3  (5)  and  here,  though  quoted  in  Dt.  ix.)  and  the  mutiny  of 
x.xxii.  25-29.  There  can  be  no  question  among  critics  as  to  the  source  of 
this  element.  It  belongs  to  the  bone  and  flesh  of  J.  But  what  of  the 
original  connection  ?  How  account  for  the  separation  between  xxxiii.  1-3 
and  I2ff.,  and  the  further  isolation  of  xxxiv.  6-9? 

As  to  the  separation  of  vv.  I2ff.  from  1-3  it  is  simply  intolerable.  The 
interruption  of  an  interjected  descent  to  the  people  is  insupposable  in 
the  original.  In  vs.  12  the  Hebrew  has,  ''  See,  ihou  art  saying  unto 
me,"  etc.,  repeating  the  language  of  vv.  1-3.  This  cannot  be  another 
interview.  It  must  be  the  same  one.  But,  still  more  strangely,  we 
have  in  Num.  xi.  loc,  iif.  a  similar  reference  quite  as  inseparable  from 
Ex.  xxxiii.  1-3  ;  and  containing  the  very  same  characteristic  features  and 
phrases :  "  And  Moses  was  displeased,  and  Moses  said  unto  Yahweh, 
Wherefore  hast  thou  '  evil  entreated '  thy  servant,  and  wherefore  have  I 
not  '  found  grace  in  thy  sight,'  that  thou  art  laying  the  burden  of  all  this 
people  upon  me  }  Have  I  conceived  all  this  people  }  Have  I  brought 
them  forth,  that  thou  art  saying  unto  me,  Carry  them  in  thy  bosom,  as  a 
nursing  father  carrieth  the  sucking  child,  unto  '  the  land  which  thou 
swarest  unto  their  fathers  }  '  '  These  words  are  just  as  inappropriate  in 
Num.  xi.  as  they  would  be  appropriate  after  Ex.  xxxiii.  1-3.  In  Num.  xi. 
Yahweh  not  only  has  said  nothing  of  the  kind  ;  he  has  not  even  spoken 


142  •  EXODUS. 

at  all,  when  Moses  breaks  out  in  this  vehement  expostulation  and  there 
is  no  other  trace  in  the  whole  story  of  the  quails  that  Moses  felt  over- 
burdened with  his  responsibilities.  This  is  what  Moses  ought  to  have 
said  after  Ex.  xxxiii.  1-3,  but  is  not  there.  In  Num.  xi.  it  is,  to  say  the 
least,  belated.  But  just  as  Num.  xi.  iif.  seems  to  be  the  reply  to  Ex. 
xxxiii.  1-3,  so  does  Yahweh's  acknowledgment  oi  personal  idcsiox  toward 
Moses  in  Ex.  xxxiii.  12,  13,  16,  lyff. ;  xxxiv.  9  seem  to  be  the  answer  to 
some  such  discreet  attempt  of  Moses  to  placate  the  anger  of  Yahweh 
against  the  people  by  objecting  the  unmerited  suffering  which  will  thus 
be  brought  upon  himself,  as  that  of  Num.  xi.  iif.,  I4f. 

In  presence  of  such  undeniable  and  such  complicated  displacement  as 
has  taken  place  within  the  limits  covered  by  chh.  xxxiii. f.  it  wiJ.l  be  well 
even  at  the  cost  of  some  digression  and  repetition,  to  form  a  clear  idea 
of  what  the  original  sequence  of  J  and  E  must  have  been  ;  and  it  is  at 
this  point  that  the  demonstration  can  most  readily  be  made,  since  the 
two  narratives  stand  clearly  side  by  side  in  the  concluding  verses  of  ch. 
xx.xii.,  and  the  opening  paragraph  of  ch.  xxxiii.  Both  have  manifestly 
related  in  common  up  to  this  point  how  after  the  bestowal  of  the  Law 
from  Sinai-Horeb  Moses  left  the  people  to  go  up  into  the  mount  and 
abide  with  Yahweh  for  a  time.  If  we  have  in  our  synopsis  of  the  docu- 
ments turned  to  ch.  xxxiv.  for  J's  narrative  of  this  interview  on  Sinai  this 
is  indeed  only  a  provisional  assumption  ;  but  some  such  account  is  pre- 
supposed in  the  J  elements  of  ch.  xxxii.  where  we  find  Moses  returning 
to  the  camp.  In  both  Moses  finds  that  the  people  have  fallen  into  griev- 
ous sin  during  his  absence,  and  after  restoring  order  reascends  the 
mount  to  reestablish  the  broken  relation  of  the  people  with  Yahweh.  In 
both  the  first  result  of  his  intercession  is  disappointing.  Further  punish- 
ment is  remitted,  but  the  people  are  dismissed  in  displeasure  (xxxii.  34= 
xxxiii.  1-3)  the  last  words  of  Yahweh  in  both  being  a  threat.  What  now 
may  we  infer  with  certainty,  from  the  subsequent  narrative  of  both 
sources,  and  from  the  possible  hints  in  the  ground  already  established, 
was  the  sequel  to  this  interview  ? 

It  is  not  only  impossible  a  priori  that  either  of  the  narrators  of  the 
sacred  history  proceeded  to  relate  that  the  people  left  the  sacred  moun- 
tain under  divine  displeasure,  but  a  posteriori  the  subsequent  narrative 
with  its  allusion  to  Yahweh's  renewed  presence,  its  "  ark  of  God  "  (of 
Yahweh),  its  "  Tent  of  Meeting,"  etc.,  establishes  the  certainty  that  some 
modtcs  Vivendi  was  arranged,  and  some  new  relation,  including  explicit 
directions  as  to  Yaliweh's  worship,  and  preparation  of  the  paraphertia- 
lia  thereof,  on  the  people's  part,  some  relenting  condescension  on  Yah- 
weh's part  to  accompany  them   and   be  their  God    and  king,  of  course 


RENEWAL  OE  THE  COVEA'ANT.  143 

through  Moses'  mediation,  was  related  I'fi  both  as  occurring  before  they 
left  the  mount. 

In  J  this  further  account  is  not  missing,  or  at  least  only  a  fragment 
has  strayed.  In  the  very  ne.xt  passage  where  the  linguistic  marks  of  J 
appear  (x.xxiii.  12-23)  Moses  is  engaged  in  this  very  work  of  interces- 
sion, pleading  every  argument  to  induce  Yahweh  to  relent  and  go  with 
the  people  /;/  person.  After  the  manner  of  Gen.  xix.  23-33,  the  inter- 
cessor advances  from  stage  to  stage.  Material  is  missing  (we  have  just 
seen  that  part  of  it  at  least  is  to  be  found  in  Num.  xi.  ioc-12,  I3f.)  from 
the  beginning  of  this  story,  for  vs.  12  refers  to  words  of  Yahweh  which 
nowhere  appear ;  and  the  end  is  also  incomplete,  even  with  the  addition 
of  vv.  6-9  of  the  succeeding  chapter,  for  we  are  still  uninformed  as  to 
the  practical  conditions  on  which  Yahweh  consents  to  recede  from  his 
original  refusal  to  go  with  the  people.  One  of  these,  as  we  know  from 
the  subsequent  narrative  of  J,  must  have  made  provision  for  an  "  ark  '' 
and  other  accessories  of  worship.  This,  of  course,  even  if  Rje  pre- 
served it,  Rp  would  be  obliged  to  strike  out,  to  make  room  for  the  much 
more  elaborate  account  of  P-.  But  it  must  have  stood  in  J,  and  in  fact 
we  are  not  entirely  without  a  hint,  even  in  the  narrative  of  J  as  it 
remains  to  us,  of  what  kind  of  stipulations  Yahweh  made.  The  story  of 
the  consecration  of  the  Levites,  in  the  preceding  narrative  (xxxii.  29,  J) 
looks  forvyard,  as  we  can  now  readily  see,  to  the  sanctuary  whose  con- 
struction must  have  been  prescribed  after  xxxiv.  9.  Another  hint  appears 
in  xxxiii.  3.  The  danger  of  the  proximity  of  Yahweh's  consuming  pres- 
ence (cf.  Is.  xxxiii.  14)  to  the  unsanctified,  is  a  characteristic  trait  in  J 
(cf.  xix.  2 if.,  24j  and  is  made  the  ground  in  xxxiii.  3  of  Yahweh's  refusal 
to  go  with  the  people.  This  objection  still  remains  to  be  overcome.  It 
can  scarcely  be  doubted  that  in  connection  with  the  instructions  for  his 
renewed  relations  with  the  people  it  was  overcome,  and  that  after  xxxiv. 
9,  Yahweh  prescribed  to  Moses  a  Tent  of  Meeting  "  without  \h&  camp," 
precisely  as  in  xxxiii.  7  (E) ;  though  in  the  latter  passage  no  other  reason 
is  given  for  this  peculiar  location  than  Moses'  practice.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  this  trait  seems  to  be  one  of  J's  aetiological  data,  as  the  usual  posi- 
tion of  the  sanctuary  of  a  town  was  otitsidc  the  gate.  (I  Sam.  ix.  14  ;  II 
Kings  xxii.  8,  10,  13.) 

We  have  thus  reached  the  point  in  J  where  the  departure  from  Sinai 
ca7i  be  related,  and  this  in  fact  is  found  immediately  after,  in  connec- 
tion with  the  visit  of  Hobab,  in  Num.  x.  29ff.  The  only  portion  of  con- 
sequence which  need  be  supposed  missing  is  the  story  of  Moses'  40  days 
in  the  mount  with  Yahweh  presupposed  by  xxxii.  7-14.  We  shall  see 
what  reason  there  is  to  think  this  also  preserved  in  the  third  element  of 
this  subsection. 


144  EXODUS. 

Passing  now  to  that  element  (the  second)  which  relates  to  the  Tent  of 
Meeting,  we  discover  in  vv.  7-1 1  the  unmistakable  characteristics  of  E. 
Here  the  location  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting  and  the  whole  religious  praxis 
are  of  course  absolutely  incompatible  with  P,  as  we  have  seen.  But  J 
knows  nothing  of  the  Ephrahnite  Joshua  as  "  Moses'  minister."  On 
the  contrary  this  is  one  of  the  most  marked  peculiarities  of  E,  where 
"  Joshua,  the  young  man,  Moses'  minister,"  even  accompanies  him  to 
the  mount  of  (jod,  (x.\iv.  I2ff. ;  xxxii.  i6ff.),  and  finally  becomes  his  suc- 
cessor (Dt.  XXXV.  i4f.).  Again  the  coining  of  Yahweh  to  the  Tent-door 
in  the  pillar  of  cloud,  and  the  method  of  divine  converse  with  Moses  are 
referred  to  in  identical  terms  in  Num.  xii.  5ff.,  a  passage  which  defines 
the  whole  theory  of  theophanies  borne  out  by  the  entire  work  of  E,  and 
they  are  referred  to  again  in  Dt.  xxxi.  i4f. 

Between  Num.  xii.  and  the  present  passage  the  only  positive  trace  of 
E's  hand  is  Num.  xi.  i6f.,  24-30,  relating  the  appointment  of  70  elders 
to  be  Moses'  assistants  by  the  gift  of  prophecy.  Here  again  we  have 
identically  the  same  circumstances  and  presuppositions ;  "  Joshua, 
Moses'  minister  from  his  youth;  "  the  pillar  of  cloud  descending  at  the 
door  of  the  Tent,  cf.  xii.  5;  Ut.  xxxi.  i4f.  (E)  ;  Joshua  not  departing 
from  it  and  hence  aroused  to  jealousy  by  the  report /;rfl;itcr^/ /r£>;«  Z,^^ 
camp  (vs.  28).  Here  the  spirit  of  Moses  is  the  spirit  of  ;5r^///^rj/ (vs. 
25  ;  cf.  Gen.  xx.  7  ;  Dt.  xxxiv.  10  E)  ;  his  character  is  that  of  unassum- 
ing meekness  ;  cf.  xii.  3(E).  The  passage  not  only  follows  with  perfect 
appropriateness  after  Ex.  xxxiii.  7-1 1,  but  is  essential  to  it  i  otherwise  we 
are  at  a  loss  to  know  the  occasion  apropos  of  which  the  praxis  and 
location  of  the  Tent  are  described  in  Ex.  x.x.xiii.  7-1 1.  It  is  almost 
needless  to  point  out  that  this  story  of  the  appointment  of  the  70  elders 
(cf.  Ex.  xxiv.  if.,  9-1 1  J)  is  most  loosely  and  artificially  connected  with 
the  story  of  the  quails  and  Kibroth-hattaawah  (J)  where  it  now  stands, 
and  has  in  fact  much  more  relation  to  the  J  elements  there  which  we 
believe  transposed,  viz.  nf.,  \\{.  Let  us  then  remove  the  manifestly 
unrelated  intervening  material.  I'  and  J.  and  allow  this  E  passage  to 
come  together  with  the  passage  so  clearly  related'  to  it. 

But  previous  to  vv.  7-1 1  we  have  in  Ex.  xxxiii.,  at  least  one  unmis- 
takable trace  of  E.  "  Horeb  "  in  vs.  6  can  come  from  no  other  hand, 
and  vs.  6  by  its  allusion  to  the  "  ornaments  "  necessarily  presupposes  vs. 
4.  Vs.  5  on  the  contrary  is  not  of  the  same  connection.  Here  the  spon- 
taneous and  natural  act  of  the  people  is  made  the  result  of  a  command 
of  Yahweh— a  command  based  on  different  grounds,  and  belated,  since 
it  is  not  promulgated  until  the  act  is  already  complete.  Moreover  vs.  5 
IS  simply  made  up  by  interlacing  material  taken  from  vv.  3  i])  and  4  (E) 


RENEWAL  OE  THE  COVENANT.  145 

and  adds  no  new  fact  whatever.  It  is  certainly  and  solely  redactional 
<Rp).  In  addition  to  its  connection  with  vs.  6,  vs.  3  has  E  features  of 
its  own  (cf.  Num.  xiv.  39  and  refs.). 

We  have  now  gathered  all  the  material  of  E  from  the  present  subsec- 
tion, and  in  fact  down  to  Num.  xii.  But  how  shall  we  reestablish  the 
connection?  Fortunately  we  have  at  least  the  analogy  of  J's  narrative 
as  summarized  above. 

It  is  a  feature  of  E's  history  which  becomes  increasingly  prominent  in 
Judges  and  later,  to  point  out  the  repeated  apostasies  of  Israel,  and  how, 
when  the  people  repented  and  "  mourned  greatly,"  turning  back  to  Yah- 
weh  from  "  the  false  gods  "  or  other  sin,  he  forgave  them  and  granted 
deliverance  (cf.  Num.  xiv.  39ff. ;  1  .Sam.  vii.).  After  xxxii.  34  therefore, 
in  place  of  the  further  intercession  of  Moses  after  the  pattern  of  Gen. 
xix.  23ff.,  in  J,  we  are  quite  prepared  in  E  to  hear  of  the  people  s  repent- 
ance as  the  motive  of  Yahweh's  relenting,  instead  o{  y\.0'r.&^'  personal 
favor  with  Yahweh.  Such  in  tact  is  precisely  the  character  of  the  next 
verses  we  come  to,  bearing  the  stamp  of  E,  viz.  xxxiii.  4,  6.  The  people 
hearing  the  evil  tidings  of  Moses'  ill-success  in  interceding  for  them 
(cf.  xxxii.  30-34,  ending  "  I  will  visit  their  sin  upon  them  ")  strip  off 
their  "  ornaments,"  the  spoil  of  Egypt.  But  there  can  scarcely  be  a 
doubt  of  what  originally  followed  here.  The  people  have  sincerely 
"  mourned  "  and  shown  contrition.  From  the  religious  belief  of  the 
writer  as  well  as  from  the  whole  subsequent  narrative  it  is  positively  cer- 
tain that  E  did  not  stop  here,  but  related  next  the  relenting  of  Yahweh, 
and  the  perfecting  of  a  new  agreement  between  him  and  the  people,  in 
which  the  central  feature  would  be  the  Sanctuary,  the  Ark,  and  certain 
prescriptions  as  to  worship.  From  the  elaborate  description  of  the  later 
and  dependent  P'^  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the  use  to  which  Yahweh 
directed  the  "  ornaments  "  stripped  off  "  from  Horeb  onward  "  should 
be  put,  was  the  construction  of  this  Tent  of  Meeting,  which  in  the  subse- 
quent E  narratives  we  find  everywhere  in  use. 

Yet  the  passage  which  now  follows  xxxiii.  4-6,  though  certainly 
derived  from  the  same  document,  E,  is  not  the  sequel  we  expect.  To 
connect  it  with  the  dissevered  parts  of  J,  vv.  1-3,  I2ff.,  which  it  inter- 
rupts, is  quite  out  of  the  question.  It  will  not  join  with  J,  and  moreover 
it  bears  every  mark  of  E,  as  we  have  seen.  But  neither  is  it  possible  to 
think  of  any  other  position  that  xxxiii.  7-1 1  could  have  occupied,  than 
the  present.  The  verses  are  E's  and  are  in  place.  The  only  admis- 
sible explanation  of  the  lack  of  connection  with  vs.  6,  is  therefore  that 
we  have  here  a  lacuna  ;  and  such  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  critics. 

Between   xxxiii.  6  and    7  then,  there  is  missing  the  entire  account    of 


I4(j  EXODUS. 

how  a  ne.\v  modus  vivendi  was  offered  by  Vahweh  and  entered  into  by 
the  people,   preparatory  to  their  departure.     This  new  covenant   must 
have  been  ritual  in  its  character,   since  it  accompanied  the  institution  of 
the   Tent  of    Meeting  and  the  subsequently  employed  elements  of  wor- 
ship.    The  promises,  which  Yahweh  would  enter  into  on  his  part    in  it, 
would  most  probably  concern  the  journey  in  prospect,  and  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  land  of  the  Amorite,  whicli  of  course  Israel    cannot  hope    to 
1    make  conquest  of  without  Yahweh  ;    in  short  it    must   secure  for  Israel 
"M  -what  the  intercession  of  Moses  in  xxxiii.  I2ff.  secures  in  J.     To  carry  out 
^  the  apparently  intended  scheme  of  E  in  xixf.,  we  should  naturally  expect 
a  formal  ratification  of  this  covenant  to  follow,  in  which  the  people's  part 
would  probably  be  at  least  more  conspicuous  than  Aaron's. 

All  this  serves  but  to  describe  the  section  xx.  22-26  ;  xxiii.  10-33  ; 
xxiv.  3-8,  which  we  have  already  seen  must  belong  to  E  ;  must  be  out  of 
place  where  it  stands,  since  it  contemplates  immediate  departure  (xxiii. 
20),  and  constitutes  a  unit  in  itself,  a  Book  of  the  Covenant  -a?,  finally 
ratified. 

Besides  this  there  must  have  followed  before  xxxiii.  7  an  account  of 
the  making  of  the  Ark  (in  which  the  Book  of  the  Covenant— the  Debarini 
— was  deposited  })  and  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting.  With  this  would  be  com- 
prised all  that  we  could  infer  a  priori  with  certainty  to  have  been  in- 
cluded originally  between  xxxiii.  6  and  7.  But  it  can  be  shown  further 
that  after  the  account  of  the  construction  of  the  Tent  came  origmally  ch. 
xviii.,  the  story  of  Jethro's  visit,  in  which  Jethro  bicjs  Moses,  Aaron  and 
the  elders  to  a  sacrificial  feast  "  before  God."  /.  e.  at  the  sanctuary.  We 
have  already  seen,  in  fact,  that  the  true  position  of  ch.  xviii.  was  neces- 
sarily after  Moses'  instruction  in  "  the  statutes  of  God  and  his  laws  "  on 
the  mount  (cf.  xviii.  16  with  xxiv.  12),  and  just  before  the  departure  from 
Horeb  (cf.  vv.  23,  27  and  Dt.  i.  6-18)  in  precise  analogy  with  J 
("Hobab,"  in  Num.  x.  29ff.).  Finally  Ch.  xviii.  itself  in  turn  (cf.  espe- 
cially vs.  23  "  if  God  command  thee  so  ")  looks  forward  to  a  further, 
and  final  Horeb  institution,  the  administrative  organization  of  the  peo- 
ple. But  this  does  not  come  before  xxxiii.  7.  .  On  the  contrary  xxxiii.  7 
-II  is  itself  a  preliminary  to  the  expected  narrative,  which  is  now  to  be 
found,  as  we  have  seen,  in  Num.  xi.  i6f.,  24-30,  and  immediately  after, 
appropriately  near  the  account  of  Jethro's  visit  bringing  Moses'  wife  and 
children,  the  story  of  how  "  Miriam  and  Aaron  spake  against  Moses 
because  he  had  married  a  "  Cushite  "  (Num.  xii.  1-15). 

We  come  now  to  that  part  of  the  subsection  hitherto  passed  over,  for 
which,  however,  a  vacancy  has  been  for  some  time  waiting.  The  third 
element  of  Ex.  xx.xiii.f.,  the  Covenant   of  Yahwrh   with    Israel,  presents 


RENEWAL  OE  THE  COVENANT.  147 

no  trace  whatever  of  E  ;*  but  is  more  distinctly  parallelled  in  ch.  xxiii.  (E) 
than  any  other  passage  in  the  Hexateuch,  the  coincidence  in  the  com- 
mandments being  to  a  great  degree  verbal.  It  is  not,  however,  a  diffi- 
cult matter  to  demonstrate  from  style  and  language  that  ch.  xxxiv. 
belongs  with  the  J  element.  "  Sinai  "  instead  of  "  Horeb  "  as  the  place 
(vv.  2,  4;  cf.  xix.  ii,  i8,  20)  ;  "flocks  and  herds"  forbidden  to  "feed 
before  that  mount  "  (vs.  3;  cf.  xix.  I2f.  and  J's  attention  to  the  flocks 
and  herds  of  Israel  passim)  ;  Moses  unattended  by  Joshua,  and  the  peo- 
ple excluded  from  participation  (vs.  3;  cf.  xix.  12,  21.  24;  xxiv.  2); 
Yahweh  "  descending  upon  mount  Sinai  "  (vs.  5  ;  cf.  xix.  18,  20)  ;  Mo.ses 
"  called  to  the  top  {rosli)  of  the  mount  "  (vs.  2  ;  cf.  xix.  20)  ;  are  all  concep- 
tions and  phrases  as  entirely  foreign  to  E  as  they  are  familiar  to  J. 
Finally  we  have  in  the  legislation  itself  (vs.  18)  a  direct  and  positive 
reference  to  Ex.  xiii.  4-7  (J),  "  as  I  commanded  thee,  at  the  time 
appointed  in  the  month  Abib."  There  can  accordingly  be  no  doubt 
whatever  that  xxxiv.  1-28  is  from  the  J  document  as  a  whole.  Never- 
theless the  chapter  is  by  no  means  free  from  difficulties. 

Vv.  6-9  we  have  already  connected  with  xxxiii.  17-23  as  promise  and 
fulfilment,  and  indeed  this  connection  needs  no  demonstration.  The 
verses  are  inseparable.  So  much  so  in  fact  that  it  is  surprising  not  to 
see  xxxiv.  6-9  follow  directly  upon  xxxiii.  23.  Again  vv.  1-4  refer  to 
Moses'  breaking  certain  former  tables  of  stone,  and  in  fact  give  to  the 
whole  chapter  the  character  of  a  renewal  of  the  broken  covenant.  Now 
the  J  document,  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  trace  it,  has  not  hitherto 
alluded  to  any  tables  of  stone,  nor  to  Moses'  breaking  them.  This  story 
was  found  only  in  E.  Still  our  analysis  might  be  corrected  perhaps  in 
this  respect,  if  this  were  all  ;  but  in  vv.  loff.  it  turns  out  that  the  chapter 
itself  does  not  support  the  character  thus  put  upon  it  by  vv.  i  and  4  of  a 
second  \3iW.  The  covenant  which.  Yahweh  makes  there,  so  far  from  being 
the  renewal  of  one  previously  unkept,  is  brought  in  as  wholly  new,  "  Be- 
hold I  make  a  covenant."  It  contains  not  the  slightest  allusion  to  a  pred- 
ecessor, nor  to  any  unfaithfulness  on  the  people's  part.  Again  vs.  28 
relates  that  Moses  spent  40  days  and  nights  on  the  mount  without  sus- 
tenance ;  but  pays  no  attention  to  the  preceding  datum  of  similar  import 
in  xxiv.  18  (E),  nor  to  any  previous  sojourn  in  the  mount  whatever.  It 
also  appears  in  27f.  that  the  purpose  of  this  prolonged  stay  is  that  Moses 
may  write  upon  the  tables  (cf.  vs.  27,  "  write  thou  ")  the  Ten  Words, 
and  even  these,  it  appears,  are  not,  as  promised  in  ib,  the  Ten  Words  of 
ch.  XX.,  but  "  the  Words  of  the  Covenant "  just  uttered.  In  still  another 
respect  vs.  ib  is  found  in  irreconcilable  contradiction  with  this,  for  in  ib 

*  See,  however,  the  note  on  xxxiv.  4  a. 


148  EXOD  US. 

it  is  Yalnueh  who  promises  to  "  write  upon  tlie  tables  tlie  words  wliich 
were  upon  the  first  tables  which  thou  brakest."  The  outcome  of  all  this 
is  very  plain.  Vv.  ib  from  "  like  unto  the  first,"  and  4a  cannot  possibly 
be  genuine.  The  chapter  itself  rejects  them.  But  if  we  strike  them  out 
the  character  of  the  chapter  appears  at  the  first  glance.  It  is  the  missing 
parallel  to  E's  story  of  the  original  %\\\wg  of  the  tables  of  stone,  and  of 
Moses'  stay  upon  the  mount,  presupposed  in  x.xxii.  7-14  (J).  The  cove- 
nant is  not  a  second,  but  the  first ;  the  tables  of  stone  are  not  duplicates, 
but  the  original,  and  the  final  proof  of  it  appears  in  the  fact  that  they  are 
called  here  tables  of  stones,  whereas  previously  (in  E)  they  have  been 
known  as  "  the  tables  of  .y/c«t\"  Moses  is  here  receiving  "  the  Words 
of  the  Covenant  "  for  which  all  the  elaborate  preparations  of  xix.  2otf., 
and  the  ceremonial  covenant  feast  of  xxiv.  if.,  9-1 1  have  prepared  ihe 
way,  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  xxxiv.  if?,  from  forming  2Si immediate 
connection  with  that  passage,  the  descent  of  the  party  being  of  course 
understood.  Similarly  it  precedes  immediately  the  story  of  the  descent 
xxxii.  7-14,  and  affords  the  occasion  for  the  rebellion  of  the  people  in 
Moses'  absence,  xxxii.  25-29,  thus  filling  practically  the  whole  gap  in  J's 
narrative. 

What  then  of  vv.  6-9,  which  we  have  seen  to  be  connected  with  xxxiii. 
17-23.^  Here  too  a  closer  inspection  affords  only  new  confirmation. 
These  verses  have  only  an  apparent  connection  with  vs.  5.  A  compari- 
son of  similar  passages  in  J,  Gen.  iv.  26  ;  xii.  8 ;  xiii.  4,  etc.,  proves  that 
the  true  sense  of  vs.  5  is  that  given  by  the  R.V.  in  the  margin,  "  He 
(Moses)  stood  with  him  (Yahweh)  there  and  called  upon  the  name  of 
Yahweh."  Hence  the  following  verses  6-9,  relating  to  forgiveness  and 
Yahweh's  guidance  have  no  real  connection  whatever  with  the  rest  of 
the  chapter.  The  association  is  purely  artificial.  The  touches  in  vv. 
lb  and  4a  are  accordingly  redactional,  intended  to  make  room  for 
the  chapter  in  the  character  of  a  rene^ual  of  the  covenant,  after  the 
example  set  by  E  in  his  Book  of  the  Covenant,  xx.  22-26;  xxiii.  10  33; 
xxiv.  3-8.  Moreover  it  is  clear  from  the  ritual  character  of  this  code 
that  it  is  a  finality,  since  it  prescribes  the  worship  as  actually  practised 
subsequently.  Moses'  later  intercession  accordingly  is  only  for  a 
renewal  of  Yahweh's  favor,  not  a  renewal  of  the  covenant.  This  code 
like  all  the  "  prophetic  "  codes  has  suffered  much  from  the  interpolation 
o:  Rd ;  but  for  this  see  notes  /;/  loc. 

Our  discussion  of  the  Sinai-Horeb  narratives  will  be  incomplete  if  we 
fail  to  enquire  the  occasion  of  the  great  upheaval  in  ch.  xxxiii.  which  led 
to  the  elimination  of  so  large  a  part  of  the  narrative  of  JE  ;  a  consider- 
able portion  at  the  end  being  forced  to  seek  other  points  of  attachnu-nt. 


RENEWAL  OF  THE  COVENANT.  149 

often  incongruous  ;  another  part,  describing  the  institution  of  the  Tent 
of  Meeting  being  wholly  obliterated  ;  and  only  the  paragraphs  relating 
the  practise  of  Moses,  and  his  intercession  on  behalf  of  the  people,  which 
could  not  take  a  different  place,  being  allowed  to  remain.  We  are  in 
some  danger,  however,  of  overestimating  the  extent  of  this  displace- 
ment unless  we  remember  that  Num.  xi.  is  really  in  almost  immediate 
juxtaposition  with  Ex.  xxxiii.  ;  for  in  Num.  x.  29ff.  we  are  no  further 
advanced  than  in  Ex.  xviii.,  and  all  the  great  mass  of  priestly  legislation 
in  the  last  chh.  of  Exodus,  the  whole  of  Leviticus  and  first  ten  chh.  of 
Numbers,  is  crowded  into  the  very  last  moments  of  the  stay  at  Horeb- 
Sinai,  between  the  giving  of  the  command  to  depart,  Ex.  xxxiii.  i,  and 
the  carrying  of  it  into  execution,  Num.  x.  29ff.  In  fact  even  Num.  xii. 
seems  still  to  belong  to  the  Horeb-group,  as  one  of  the  consequences  of 
Jethro's  visit,  when  Moses'  wife  was  first  brought  into  contact  with 
Miriam  and  Aaron  ;  so  that  Num.  xi.  iif.,  \\{.  cannot  be  said  to  have 
strayed  far. 

It  is  by  no  means  necessary  to  settle  to  a  nicety  the  part  played  by  any 
or  all  of  the  redactors  Rje,  Rd,  and  Rp  in  this  rearrangement  of  the 
material  at  the  close  of  the  Horeb  narrative.  All  that  concerns  us  is  to 
suggest  an  adequate  motive  for  the  transfer,  so  that  the  suggestion  of 
displacement  be  not  open  to  the  accusation  of  arbitrariness,  and  this  it 
is  not  really  difficult  to  do. 

If  we  take  up  the  displaced  and  missing  elements  in  the  order  of  the 
events  of  the  narrative  it  is  perfectly  easy  to  see  why  Rje,  after  adopting 
E's  version  of  the  40  days  in  the  mount,  xxiv.  12-14,  18  b.;  xxxii.  1-6; 
xxxi.  18  b,  should  feel  obliged  to  strike  out  from  between  xxiv.  11  and 
xxxii.  7,  J's  version  of  the  same,  viz.  ch.  xxxiv.  The  story  of  Moses' 
return  to  the  camp,  xxxii,  7-14  (J),  and  16-24  (E),  he  found  means  to 
preserve  for  the  most  part  in  both  versions,  as  well  as  that  of  Yahweh's 
anger  at  the  people's  sin,  anc^  their  dismissal.  The  accounts  of  the  peo- 
ples' repentance  xxxiii.  4,  6  (E),  and  Moses'  intercession,  x.xxiii.  12-23  : 
xxxiv.  6-9  (J)  he  could  retain  from  both,  by  putting  the  latter  after  the 
former,  and  striking  out  from  it  the  duplicate  account  of  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Tent,  which  from  the  traces  in  xxxiii.  4-1 1  he  seems  to  have 
related  in  E's  version.  Next  followed  the  renewal  of  the  covenant  xx.  22- 
26 ;  xxiii.  10-33 :  xxiv.  3-8  (E)  which  there  was  no  reason  to  interfere 
with,  and  Rje  doubtless  left  it  /;/  situ.  The  story  of  Jethro's  visit, 
which  followed,  he  had  no  motive  for  removing,  since  he  found  it  not 
incompatible  with  Num.  x.  29ff.  ;  and  Dt.  i.  6-18  leads  us  to  think  it  also 
remained  for  the  present  in  this  position,  followed  by  the  account  of 
Moses'    practise  in    regard    to   the    Tent  of    Meeting,    xxxiii.  7-1 1   (E). 


150  EXODUS. 

Thereafter  followed  the  account  of  the  institution  of  the  70  endowed 
with  the  spirit  of  prophecy  combined  with  the  opening  sentences  of 
Moses'  complaint  of  the  burden  of  the  people  (cf.  Dt.  i.  6ff.)  The  story 
of  the  stay  at  Sinai- Horeb  concluded  with  the  noble  intercession  of 
Moses,  finally  prevailing  upon  Yahweh  to  go  personally  in  their  midst, 
xxxiii.  12-23;  xxxiv.  6-9  (J).  By  this  arrangement  nothing  of  import- 
ance was  omitted  save  "  the  Words  of  the  Covenant,"  xxxiv.  1-5,  10-28 
(J),  and  even  of  these  a  part  was  taken  up,  either  at  this  time  or  later, 
into  "the  Book  of  the  Covenant  "  xx.  22-26;  xxiii.  10-33  (E),  which  in 
Rje's  work  described  the  renewal  of  the  covenant,  as  the  exigencies  of 
the  history  required,  before  the  departure  from  Horeb. 

It  seems  to  have  been  the  work  of  Rd  to  reincorporate  with  JE  the 
Words  of  the  Covenant  eliminated  as  duplicate  by  Rje.  We  find  as  the 
lower  limit  of  time  to  which  this  process  can  be  referred  the  passage,  Dt. 
X.  i-ii,  in  which,  however,  ch.  xxxiv.  has  perhaps  not  yet  obtained  its 
final  position  (cf.  Dt.  x.  lof.  )  nor  its  present  shape  exactly  (Dt.  x.  1-5 
has  the  plus,  "  And  make  thee  an  ark  of  wood  "...  "  and  put  iheni  in 
the  ark  "  .  .  .  "  so  I  made  an  ark  of  acacia  wood  "  .  .  .  "and  put  the 
tables  in  the  ark,"  all  of  which  must,  of  course,  have  been  stricken  out  by 
Rp  as  incompatible  with  P'-'s  account  of  the  ark  of  gold).  The  Rd  there- 
fore to  whom  the  reincorporation  of  Ex.  xxxiv.  is  assigned  must  be  earlier 
than  Dt.  x.  Nevertheless  the  style  and  interest  of  the  redactor  whose 
hand  appears  in  the  ch.  itself,  and  in  the  passages  affected  by  its  reincor- 
poration, is  so  thoroughly  Deuteronomic,  that  we  have  no  choice  but  to 
refer  the  process  to  one  of  this  school.  It  is  clear,  however,  that  in  the 
time  of  Dt.  x.  i-ii,  E's  account  of  the  rrncwal  of  the  covenant  had  been 
superseded  by  J's  story  of  \.\\&  i^ivtng  of  the  Words  of  the  Covenant,  the 
latter,  in  the  present  form  of  a  renciual,  being  perhaps  preferred  on 
account  of  its  presenting  the  tables  of  stone  as  still  preserved  (Dt.  x.  5) 
whereas  E's  narrative  left  them  shattered  on  the  steeps  of  Horeb.  This 
reincorporation  was  not  effected  without  displacement,  and  while  it  would 
be  foolhardy  to  attempt  to  state  in  detail  what  the  process  was,  it  is  safe 
to  maintain  that  it  gave  to  Ex.  xxxiii  f.,  practically  and  as  a  whole,  its 
pre.sent  character  of  an  intercession  on  Moses'  part  with  Yahweh,  result- 
ing in  the  renewal  of  the  covenant  and  rewriting  (by  Yahweh  cf.  Dt.  x.  4) 
of  the  tables.  But  two  accounts  of  the  renewal  of  the  covenant,  E's  (xx. 
22-26;  xxiii.  10-33  •  ^x'V-  3~^*  ^"^  J'^  (c'l-  xxxiv)  could  not  stand  side 
by  side.  If  both  were  preserved  one  must  retire  to  a  position  before  the 
apostasy  in  order  to  avoid  the  glaring  absurdity  of  two  consecutive  ratifi- 
cations of  the  .vrt;«^ covenant  between  Yahweh  and  Israel.  In  addition  to 
E's  Book  of  the  Covenant,  in  order  to  bring  ch.  xxxiv.   into  the  intended 


XXXIII.  3-        RENEWAL  OF  THE  COVENANT.  151 

relation  to  ch.  xxxii.,  Rd  had  to  find  a  new  place  for  other  incidents  of  ch. 
xxxiii.,  including  Jethro's  visit,  Ex.  xviii.  (E) ;  the  appointment  of  the  70 
(with  which  went  a  seemingly  connected  verse  or  two  of  J),  Num.  xi.  loc- 
12,  14-17,  24-30  (JE)  ;  the  rebellion  of  Miriam  and  Aaron,  Num.  xii.  (E)  ; 
most,  of  which  passages  are  more  or  less  marked  by  Rd's  hand.  But  the 
account  of  how  the  Tent  of  Meeting  was  constructed  from  the  ornaments 
stripped  off,  Ex.  xxxiii.  4,  6.  .  .  (E)  and  of  Moses'  practise  in  regard  to 
the  Tent,  had,  of  course,  to  remain,  as  the  story  of  Moses'  depositing  there 
the  "  ark  of  wood  "  with  the  "  tables  of  stones  "  came  just  after.  Doubt- 
less the  process  of  readjustment  was  a  slow  one.  It  was  not  complete 
when  Dt.  i.  6ff.  was  written,  and  we  cannot  pretend  to  say  how,  or  when, 
it  finally  brought  these  passages  into  their  present  position.  Only,  after 
ch,  xxxiv.  was  taken  up  in  its  present  character  the  disturbing  element  was 
present  to  exert  a  continuous  pressure  in  ihis  direction  until  the  present 
order  became  fixed. 

Rp's  work  is  less  difficult  to  define.  He  found  the  account  of  the  con- 
struction of  the  Tent  of  Meeting  after  xxxiii.  6  in  his  way  and  struck  it 
out,  retaining,  however,  in  a  most  commendably  conservative  spirit  vv.  7 
-II,  in  spite  of  incongruities.  To  round  off  a  little  the  broken  edges  of 
xxxii.  4,  6  he  made  a  kind  of  ending  out  of  the  adjoining  material  in  vs. 
5.  In  ch.  xxxiv.  he  was,  of  course  obliged  to  strike  out  the  parts  relating 
to  the  zuoodtvi  ark,  perhaps  adding  vs.  4a.  in  place  of  the  material  referred 
to  by  Dt.  x.  1-5.  At  the  end  of  the  Words  of  the  Covenant  he  attached 
the  tntdrask  29-34,  leading  over  to  P-"s  account  of  the  building  of  the 
Tabernacle,  and  resuming  xxxii.  1 5  in  such  a  way  as  to  connect  the 
P  narrative,  which  of  course  had  no  story  of  apostasy,  with  that  of  the 
renewal  of  the  covenant. 


(J)  And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  Depart,  igo  up  33 
hence,  thou  and  the  people  which  thou  hast  brought 
up  out  of  tlie  land  of  Egypt,  unto  the  land  of  which 
3l  SAvare  unto  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacol),  say- 
(Rd)  ing,  I  uto  thy  seed  will  I  give  it :  ^and  i  win  send  an     2 

angel    before  thee  ;  and   I  will  drive  out    the    Canaanite,  the  Aniorite,  and 
(J)  the  Hittite,  and  the  Perizzite,    the  Ilivite,  and  the    Jebusite:  ■^UUtO  a     3 

land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey  :  "for  I  will  not  go 
up  in  the  midst  of  thee  ;  for  thou  art  a  'stifl'necked 

•32  :  34.  2j2  .  J     3Gen.  12  :  7  ;  26  :  3  :  28  :  13.  ^23  :  20  ;  23  :  32.34.  ^3  :  8,  17:13:5;  Nu. 
13  :  27  :  16  :  i3f.  6^^  .  g  .  yy  14-16.  ''32  :  10  ;  34  :  0. 


152  EXODUS.    '  XXXIII.  4 

4  (E)  people :  lest  I  consume  thee  in  the  way.    And 

when   the   people   heard  ^these  evil   tidings,  they  mourned  : 

5  (Rp)  ^i>i<-l  no  nuin  did  put  on  him  his  ''ornaments.  And  Yah- 
loeh  said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  the  c/ii/dren  of  Israel,  Ye  are  a  stiffnecked 
people  :  if  I  go  up  into  the  midst  of  thee  for  one  moment,  I  shall  constitne  thee  : 
therefore   noio  put  off  thy  ornaments  from  thee,  that  I  may  knozu   xvhat  to  do 

6  (E)  itutothee  And  the  children  of  Israel  stripped  themselves 
of  their  ornaments  from  ^''mount  Horeb  onward.* 

7  "Now  Moses  used  to  take  the  tent  and  to  pitch  it  with- 
out the  camp,  afar  off  from  the  camp  ;  and  he  called  it, 
The  tent  of  meeting.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  every  one 
which  ^'■'sought  Yahweh  went  out  unto  the  tent  of    meeting, 

8  which  was  without  the  camp.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when 
Moses  went  out  unto  the  Tent,  that  all  the  people  rose  up, 
and   stood,   ^^every  man  at    his  tent  door,   and   looked  after 

9  Moses,  until  he  was  gone  into  the  Tent.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  Moses  entered  into  the  Tent,  "the  pillar  of  cloud 

10  descended,  and  stood  at  the  door  of  the  Tent  :  and  [Yah- 
weh] spake  with  Moses.  And  all  the  people  saw  the  pillar 
of  cloud   stand   at  the  door  of  the  Tent  :  and  all  the  people 

11  rose  up  and  worshipped,  every  man  at  his  tent  door.  ^''And 
Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses  face  to  face,  as  a  man  speaketh 
unto  his  friend.  And  he  turned  again  into  the  camp  :  '"^but 
his  minister  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  a  young  man,  '"de- 
parted not  out  of  the  Tent.f 

"32  :  33^- ;  Nu.  14  :  39.  'i2:3sf.  '"j:!;!;:".  "Nu.  11  :  i6f.,  24-30  ;  ct.  Ex.  25ff.  ;  Nu. 
2  ff.  »*i8  :  15,  19;  22  :g,  etc.  I'Vs.  10  ;  Nu.  n  :  10.  K13  :  2if.  ;  14  :  igf.  ;  Nu.  11  :  25  ;  12  :  5. 
i5Nu.  12  :  6-8.     1824  :  13  ;  Nu.  II  :28.     "13  :  22  ;  Nu.  14  :  44. 

*  The  interpolation  of  vs.  2  is  of  a  stereotyped  character  and  scarcely  needs 
comment.  It  is  apparent  from  vs.  12  that  the  "  angel"  comes  also  from  the 
hand  of  the  intcrpolatdr,  wlio  seems  to  have  had  xxiii.  23  and  xxxiv.  11  before 
his  eye.  In  vs.  5  tlie  stripping  off  of  the  ornaments  is  not  a  spontaneons 
token  of  grief  from  the  people  bnt  is  done  at  the  command  of  Yahweh.  The 
verse  merely  repeats  vs.  3b,  and  puts  in  the  form  of  a  divine  commantl  the 
statement  of  the  context.  Apparently  it  was  a  very  late  piece  of  redactional 
work  ;  for  LXX.  have,  "  See  that  I  do  not  bring  npon  you  another  stroke  and 
consume  you ;  now  therefore  put  away  the  garments  of  your  glory  and  your 
adornment  and  I  will  show  thee  what  I  will  do  to  thcc."  For  the  connection 
after  xxxiii.  6,  see  Analysis  above. 

I  \\.  7-1 1  were  not  originally  written   to  stand  above.     The  verbs  of  vv.  7- 


XXXI II.  ly.     RENEWAL  OE  THE  COVENANT.  153 

(J)  [  .  .  .  ]*  And  Moses  said  unto  Yahweh,  See  thou  12 
i«sa.vest  unto  me.  Bring  up  tliis  people :  and  tliou  liast 
not  let  me  know  whom  thou  wilt  send  with  me.    Yet 
thou  ^'^hast  said,  I  know  thee  hy  name,  and  thou  hast 
also  '"found  grace  in  my  sight.     Now  therefore,   I  13 
pray  thee,  if  I  have  found  grace  in  thy  sight,  shew 
me  now  thy  ways,  that   I  may  know  thee,  to  the  end 
that  I  may  find  grace  in  thy  sight :  and  consider  that 
this  nation  is  thy  people.     ^And  he  said,  My  presence  \\ 
shall  go  [with  theej  and    I  will  give  thee  rest.    And  15 
he  said  unto  him,  If  thy  presence  go  not  [with  me,] 
carry  us  not  up  hence.    For  wherein  now  shall  it  he  16 
known  that  I  have   found  grace  in  thy  sight,  I  and 
thy  people  \    is  it  not  in  that  thou  goest  with  us,  so 
that  we  be  separated,  I  and  thy  people,  from  all  the 
people  that  are  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  ?  [  .  .  .  ] 
And  Yahweh  said   unto  Moses,  I  will  do  this  thing  17 
also  that  thou  hast  spoken:  ''for   thou  hast  found 
grace  in  my  sight,  and  I  know  thee  by  name.    And  he  18 
said.  Shew  me,  I  pray  thee,  thy  glory.    '*And  he  said,  19 
I  will  make  all  my  goodness  pass  before  thee,  and 
will  proclaim  the  name  of  Yahweh  before  thee;  and  I 
will  be  gracious  to  whom  I  will  be  gracious,  and  will 

'*Vv.  1-3  ;  Nu.  II  :  12.  i^Vv.  \-ji.  -"Geii.  6  :  8  ;  ig  :  ig  ;  32  :  5  ;  33  :  8,  lo,  15  ;  34 :  ii  ; 
3g  :  4  ;  47  :  25.  2g  ;  50:  4,  etc.  -'34:9.  --Xu.  n  :  iif.  ^svs.  12  and  refs.  -^34  :  6f. 

ir  are  indeed  in  the  tense  indicative  of  continued  past  action,  but  it  must  lie 
apropos  of  something  that  the  s])ace  relations  are  thus  depicted,  and  that  we 
are  told  of  Moses'  turning  again  into  the  camp,  while  Joshua  remains  behind. 
What  this  missing  occasion  for  the  e.xplanation  is,  appears  clearly  enough 
when  we  connect  after  vs.  11  the  ne.xt  following  E  passage.  Num.  xi.  i6f.,  24- 
30.     {.See  Analysis,  and  .\rt.   iv). 

*  It  is  apparent  that  some  words  of  reassurance  from  Yahweh  to  Moses  are 
missing  before  vs.  12,  for  thev  are  referred  to  in  12b.  Vs.  14  as  above  translated 
would  be  utterly  premature,  and  indeed  the  whole  passage,  12-23;  xxxiv.  6-9, 
in  well-nigh  hopeless  disorder.  To  make  sense  of  this  confusion,  it  would  be 
needful  with  Dillmann  to  transpose  vv.  14-16  after  xxxiv.  9  and  then  after  the 
passage  from  Nu.  xi.  insert  xxxiii.  T7,  I2f.,  20-23,  i8f.  A  far  siinpler  cure  for 
the  confusion  is  to  assume,  as  above,  a  gap  before  vs.  12  and  translate  vs.  14 
with  Kautzsch  as  a  question.     (See  Part  II.) 


154  JiXODi'S.  XXXI II    20.. 

20  shew  mercy  on  Avhoiu  I  will  shew  mercy.  And  he 
said,  ^^thou  canst  not  see  my  lace:   for  man  shall  not 

21  see  me  and  live.  And  Yaliweh  said.  Behold  there  is 
a  place  by   me,  and  thon  shalt  stand  upon  the  rock  : 

22  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  while  *my  ^lory  passeth 
by,  that  I  will  put  thee  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock,  and 
will  cover  thee  with  my  hand  until  I  have  passed  by : 

23  and  I  will  take  away  mine  hand,  and  thou  shalt  see 
my  back :  but  my  face  shall  not  be  seen. 

;U— 'And  *  Yahweh   said   unto  Moses,    Hew  thee    ^two 

(Rd)    tables  of    stone  Hke  unto  the  first:  and  I  will  write  upon  the 

2  (J)  tables  the  words  that  were  on  the  first  tables,  which  thou  brakest.   And 

be  ready  'by  the  morning,  and  come  up  in  the  morn- 
ing unto  mount  'Sinai,  and   present  thyself  there  to 

3  me  on  the  ^top  of  the  mount.  'And  no  man  shall 
come  up  with  thee,  neither  let  any  man  be  seen 
throughout  all  the  mount ;  neither  let  the  'flocks 

4  (Rp)    nor  herds  feed  before  that  mount.    And  he  hewed 

{})  Iwo  tables   of  stone  like  unto  Ihe  first ;    f    aud     MoSCS     rOSe    Up 
25Vs.  13  ;  Gen.  32  :  30.      2b,^  .  g        iDt.  jo  ;  ,-5.       '^Ct.  ..4  :  12  ;  ji  :  iS  ;  32  :  151'.       ^Vs.  4. 
*i9 :  II,  i8,  20,  23  ;  vs.  4.     'ly  :  20.     "ig  :  i2f.,  21,  24  ;  24  :  2.     '12  :  38  ;   ly  :  13. 

*  Insert  xxxiv.  1-5,  10-28  after  xxiv.  11  (See  above,  Analysis  p.  14S).  The  re- 
moval, if  effected  already  by  Rje,  was  doubtless  for  the  .sake  of  preserving  this  in- 
valuable material,  which  could  not  stand  alongside  of  ch.  xx.,  but  could  be  intro- 
duced as  a  renewal  of  the  covenant,  the  proper  renewal  according  to  E  (xx.  22 
-26,  xxiii.  10-33),  '^eing  forced  back  to  its  present  place.  We  adopt,  however, 
in  our  Analysis,  the  theory  of  Cornill  [Eiuleitimi^;  p.  82)  that  ch.  xxxiv.  is  a 
reincorporation  by  Rtl 

t  The  harmonistic  touches  in  vv.  i  and  4  have  already  been  discu.s.sed  (see 
Analysis,  p.  148).  The  first  clause  of  vs.  4  is,  however,  not  included  under  the 
evidence  cited.  On  account  of  the  absence  of  the  article  in  4b  ("  two  tables  of 
stone  ")  ;  of  the  phrase  "  rose  up  early  in  the  morning  "  (frequent  in  E,  but  cf. 
viii.  20  ;  ix.  13,  J),  and  of  the  rei^etition  (jf  the  subject  "  Moses  "  in  4b,  Budde 
and  others  have  claimed  a  trace  of  V.  in  this  verse.  If  the  claim  be  admitted, 
it  goes  to  show  that  E  had  an  account  of  renewal  of  the  tables,  as  well  as  of  the 
covenant.  But  Dt.  x.  i  shows  that  there  has  been  omission  here,  so  that  in 
any  case  4a  is  only  a  synopsis  of  the  original.  As  the  clause  itself  is  quite 
superfluous  and  E  has  no  monopoly  of  "  rose  up  carlv  in  the  morning  "  (cf.  I 
.  Sam.  xxix.  10,  J.  Bud.)  it  seems  much  more  i)robable  that  4a  is  a  substitute  by 
Rp  for  the  missing  J  material  than  a  fragment  of  I'".. 


XXXI V.  lo.      RENEWAL  OF  THE  COVENANT.  155 

early  in  the  luoriiiiig,  and  went  np  nnto  nionnt  ^Sinai 
as  Yaliweh  had  commanded  him,  and  took  in  his 
hand  two  tables  of  "stone.    And  Yaliweh  ^"descended    5 
in  the  clond,  and    stood  with   him  there,  and  "pro- 
claimed the  name  of  Yahweh.*    And  Yahweh  ^-passed    6 
by  before  him,  and  ^^proclaimed,  Yahweh,  Yahweh, 
a  ^*Crod  fnll  of  compassion  and  gracions,  slow  to  anger 
and  plenteons    in  mercy  and  trnth  ;  keeping  mercy    7 
for  thonsands,  forgiving   iniqnity  and  transgression 

(Rd)  and  sin  :  ^^and  that  will  by  no  means  clear  [the  guilty;]  visiting 
the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon  the  children,  and  upon  the  children's  child- 
(J)    ren,  upon  the  third  and  upon  the  fourth  generation.!      And    MoSCS      '^ 

made  haste,  and  ^"^bowed  his  head  toward  the  earth 
and  worshipped.  And  he  said,  If  now  Iliave  fonnd  9 
grace  in  thy  sight,  ^0  Lord,  let  the  Lord,  I  pray 
thee,  go  in  the  midst  of  ns  ;  for  it  is  a  ^^stiffnecked 
people ;  and  ^^pardon  onr  iniqnity  and  onr  sin,  and 
take  us  for  thine  inheritance.  ![...]    And  She  10 

*Vs.  2  and  refs.  "Vs.  i  and  refs.  '"19  :  18,  20.  I'Gen.  4  :  26,  etc.  1-33  :  22  ;  ct  %'s.  5. 
"33  '■  19-  '^Nu.  14  :  18.  '•''23  :  21  ;  32  :  34  :  Jos.  24  :  19  ;  cf.  E.X:  20  :  5.  '"4  :  31  ;  12  :  27.  '''4  : 
10,  13  ;  Gen.  15  :  2.     "*32  :  9  ;  33  : 3-     '"Vs.  6f. 

*  In  vs.  5  translate  with  margin,  "  And  he  stood  with  him  there  and  called 
upon  the  name  of  Yahweh."  (See  Analysis.) 

t  "  Plenteous  "  (vs.  6,  cf.  Nu.  xiv.  18)  occurs  only  in  post-exilic  writings,  but 
6,  7a  cannot  be  rejected  save  by  rejecting  also  xxxiii.  19.  The  portion  above 
assigned  to  Rd  represents  the  minimum.  Cf.  Part  II.  Vs.  ybc  seems  to  be 
partly  intended  to  harmonize  vs.  6,  7a  with  E  (ct.  xxiii.  21  ;  xxxii.  t,-^  ;  Jos.  xxiv. 
19,  E),  and  is  framed  on  the  model  of  xx.  5. 

t  Vv.  6-9  belong  after  xxxiii.  23  (see  Analysis).  Vs.  5  (misunderstood)  fur- 
nished a  point  of  attachment  for  this  narrative  of  the  Words  of  the  Covenant, 
whose  earlier  verses  accordingly  were  inserted  before  vs.  6.  In  vs.  9  Dill- 
mann  emends  nc  It  it  ham,  "  be  our  Guide,"  for  iiehalthavi,  "  take  us  for  thine 
inheritance." 

§  The  code  of  Ex.  xxxiv.,  like  every  other  section  throughout  the  Penta- 
teuch devoted  to  ritual  law,  has  undergone  a  drastic  revision  and  interpolation; 
and  in  this  the  hand  of  Rd  is  specially  apparent.  The  danger  of  corruption  to 
idolatry  by  "the  inhabitants  of  the  land"  (vv.  lib.,  12,  i5f.)  is  the  dominant 
idea  with  the  Deiiteronomist  and  his  followers.  "  Jealousy  for  Vahweh  "  (vs. 
f4b  Rje  (?)  ;  cf.  XX.  5  and  Jos  xxiv.  ig)  is  the  keynote  of  the  great  reforma- 
tion of  Elijah,  which,  when  mature,  swept  both  Ephraini   and  Judah  with  revo- 


156  EXODUS.  XXXIV.  II. 

(Rd)  said.  Behold  I  make  a  covenant :  before  aii  thy  peo- 
ple I  will  do  marvels,  such  as  have  not  been  - 'wrought  in  all  the  earth,  nor 
in  any  nation:  and  -lall  the  people  among  which  thou  art  shall  see  the  work 

1 1  of  Yahweh,  for  it  is  a  terrible  thing  that  I  do  with  thee.  Observe  thou 
that  which  I  command  thee  this  day:  '-"-'behold,  I  drive  out  before  thee  the 
Amorite,  and    the    Canaanite,    and    the    llittite,  and  the  Perizzite,  and  the 

12  Hivite,  and  the  Jebusite.  -'-^Take  heed  to  thyself,  lest  thou  make  a  cove- 
nant   with    the    inhabitants    of    the  land  whither  thou  goest,  lest  it  be  for  a 

I  ->  snare  in  the  midst  of  thee :  '-'-ibut  ye  shall  break  down  their  altars,  and  dash 

14  in    pieces   their   pillars,   and    ye    shall     cut    down    their    Asherini  :     for 

(J)  ^thou  slialt  worship  no  other  god:  "for  Yah- 
weh,   whose  name   is   Jealous,    is   a  jealous    Ood : 

15  (Rd)  '-'lest  thou  make  a  covenant  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  land,  and 
they   go   a   whoring  after    their  gods,  and  do  sacrifice  unto  their  gods,  and 

16  one  call  thee  and  thou  eat  of  his  sacrifice  ;  and  thou  take  of  their  daugh- 
ters unto  thy  sons,  and  their  daughters  go  a  whoring  after  their  gods,  and 

17  (J)  make    thy   sons   go   a   whoring    after   their  gods.      -^TllOU  slialt 

18  make  thee  no  molten  gods.— -''The  feast  of  unleav- 
ened   bread,    shall    thou    keep.    Seven   days  thou 

■-"Nu.  i6  :  30  ;  cf.  Gen.  i  :  i.  2ij„s.  2  :  lof  ;  5  :  i  ;  9  :  24,  etc.  "^23  :  23f,  316-33  ;  33  :  2. 
2323  :  32f  '•  Nu-  53  :  55  ;  JufJ-  ^  '■  i-'^-  '^''^S  '■  ^4  ;  Nu.  33  :  52.  =^20  :  3,  23.  2620  .  5  .  Jqs.  24  : 
iQ.'  "Vs.  12  ;  Jud.  2  :  17.     2^20  :  4.  23.    2-*23  :  15. 

lution,  (I  Kgs.  .\ix.  10,14-18;  II  Kgs.  xf.).  But  the  abolition  of  the  local 
altars,  bamotli,  asherim,  and  ma^ceboth  ("pillars"),  (vs.  13)  belongs  to  the 
iconoclastic  revolution  of  Josiah  and  the  Deuteronomic  requirement.  The 
Mosaism  of  J  and  E  simply  rebaptizes  these  objects  of  the  popular  worship 
into  "memorials"  of  the  patriarchs  (cf.  Genesis  passim),  though  J  seems 
already  to  avoid  mention  of  the  ma99eboth,  and  lifts  a  protest  against  the 
"molten,"  or  "  graven  "  image,  while  E  rejects  both  these  and  the  /t'ra/^///'/;/. 
Apart  from  the  interruption  which  vv.  rib,  I2f.,  I5f.,  24  occasion  in  the  series 
of  "Ten  Words"  (vs.  28),  it  would  be  an  anachronism,  in  defiance  of  the 
whole  attitude  of  J  and  E  toward  the  ancient  shrines  and  sacred  objects,  not  to 
recognize  that  these  verses  belong  to  the  later  Deuteronomic  period  of  reform 
in  which  iconoclasm  took  the  place  of  toleration  or  accommodation.  In  vs.  10 
the  lateness  of  the  interpolation  is  evidenced  by  the  language  [bara,  "create  "). 
It  reflects  also  the  Deuteronomic  conceptions.  In  vs  iS,  "as  I  commanded 
thee,"  we  have  a  manifest  comment  of  J  himself  upon  the  code  he  incorporates, 
and  very  possibly  in  vs.  14b  also.  Vs.  20,  with  its  provisions  of  redemption  in 
modification  of  the  law  of  firstlings,  may  well  be  from  his  hand,  or  at  least 
from  some  very  early  interpolator.  For  this  reason  no  change  is  made  in  the 
tyi)e,  though  clearly  the  unusual  length  of  the  law  of  firstlings  and  of  tiie  feast 
of  unleavened  bread  is  against  the  original  standing  of  iSb  and  20  in  the  Code. 
The  interpolations  of  vs.  23f.  require  special  consideration.     (See  note  iii  loc.) 


XXXI V.  25.       RENEWAL  OF  THE  COVENANT.  157 

Shalt   eat    iiuleaveued    bread,     **as    I      commanded 
thee,     at    the     time     appointed     in    the      month 
Abib :     for      in     the     month        Abib     thon    cam- 
est    ont   from    Egypt.*  — "^ All  that     openeth     the   19 
(Rd)  (J)  womb  is  mine  ;    and  aii  thy  cattle  that  is  male,  f  the 
firstlings  of  ox  and  sheep.    And  the  firstling  of  an  20 
ass  thon  shalt  redeem  with  a  lamb :  and  if  thou  wilt 
not  redeem  it,  then  thon  shalt  break  its  neck.    All 
the  first-born  of  thy  sons  thon  shalt  redeem.    ^  And 
none  shall  appear  before  me  empty.    ^^Six  days  thou  21 
shalt  work,  but  on  the  seventh  day  thou  shalt  rest : 
in  plowing  time  and    in  harvest  thou    shalt    rest. 
''And  thou  shalt  observe  the  feast  of  weeks,  [even]  of  22 
the  first  fruits  of  wheat  harvest,  and  the  feast  of 
(Rd)   ingathering  at  the  year's  end.    ^^Three  times  in  the  23 

year  shall  all  thy  males  appear  before  the  Lord  Yahweh,  the  God  of  Israel.    24 
For  I  will  cast  out  nations  before  thee,  and  enlarge  thy  borders  :  neither  shall 
any    man   desire    thy    land,  when    thou  goest    up  to   appear  before  Yahweh 
(J)  thy  God  three  times  in  the  year.  J    ^^'^TllOU  shalt  UOt  offcr  the  25 


*  Vs.  18  belongs  of  course  between  vv.  21  and  22  (cf.  xxiii.  I5f.).  The 
removal  may  have  been  made  for  the  sake  of  attaching  the  law  of  firstlings  (vs. 
igf. ),  which  were  offered  at  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread,  with  the  law  for  the 
observance  of  the  feast. 

t  Vs.  igbrt  misunderstands  19a  which  has  no  reference  to  first-born  sons  (cf. 
Jer.  .\ix.  5)  and  the  language  ("male")  is  post-exilic.  The  special  cases, 
first-born  sons  and  first-born  of  asses  are  provided  for  (by  J  .')  in  vs.  20.  The 
last  clause  of  the  verse  should  be  preceded  only  by  a  comma.  The  Hebrew 
has  simply,  "  nor  let  them  (/.  e.  the  first-born)  appear  empty  (unredeemed) 
before  me  (/.  e.  in  the  sanctuary)."     LXX.  and  Vulg.  have,  "  appear  thou." 

fVv.  23  and  24  are  probably  not  from  the  same  hand.  Vs.  23  is  of  course 
merely  supplementary,  but  of  comparatively  late  origin,  perhaps  imported  from 
xxiii.  14,  whither  (xxiii.  17)  it  has  itself  in  return  been  at  a  still  later  time 
exported  back.  Vs.  24,  however,  has  a  curious  motive.  "  Going  up  to  appear 
before  Yahweh  "  was  of  course  in  the  early  legislation  and  practise  a  very  sim- 
ple matter  (I  Sam.  i.  3),  since  the  local  sanctuary  was  easily  accessible,  within 
a  mile  or  two  of  every  peasant.  But  with  the  abolition  of  the  local  bavioth  the 
requirement,  "  Three  times  in  the  year  shall  all  thy  males  go  up  to  appear 
before  Yahweh  "  acquired  a  new    and    extraordinary    sense.     Previous   to    the 


158  /iXODi'S.  XXXI \'.  26. 

blood  of  my  sjicrifiee  with  leavened  bread ;    neither 
shall  the  sacrifice  of  the  feast  of  the  passover  be  left 

26  nnto  the  morning-.  The  first  of  the  firstfrnits  of  thy 
gronnd  thon  shalt  bring  nnto  the  honse  of  Yahweli 
thy  Grod.    Thon  shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  its  mother's 

27  milk.  ^'And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Write  thou 
these  words  :  for  ^'after  the  tenor  of  these  words  ^^I 
have  made  a  covenant  with  thee  and  with    Israel. 

28  *  And  he  was  there  with  Yahweh  forty  days  and  forty 
nights;  and  he  did  neither  eat  bread,  nor  drink 
water.  And  "he  wrote  upon  the  tables  *  the  words  of 
the  covenant,  the  ten  commandments.* — 

="Ct.  vs.  I  ;  cf.  24  u.  3^Geii.  43  :  7.  '^^Vs.  10.  -"'24  :  iS.  ^'\'s.  27  ;  ct.  vs.  i.  ^-24  :  4. 
deportation  of  the  ten  tribes  it  would  have  been  in  fact  a  palpable  impossibil- 
ity. Even  in  the  little  kingdom  of  Josiah  and  of  the  Restoration  a  journey  of 
all  the  male  inhabitants  three  times  a  year  to  Jerusalem  was  a  formidable 
requirement,  as  its  enforcement  would  leave  the  land  helpless  before  invaders. 
In  face  of  this  difficulty,  as  in  several  similar  cases,  the  Deuteronomic 
reformers  fell  back  upon  religious  faith.  God  would  take  away  from  the 
hearts  of  their  enemies  the  desire  to  take  advantage  of  their  obedience  to  his 
prescription.  No  man  should  desire  their  land  when  they  went  up  three  times 
in  the  year.  The  same  unpractical  but  sublime  faith  moved  the  Jews  of  the 
Maccabaean  period  to  offer  no  resistance  to  invaders  on  the  Sabbath. 

*  Translate  with  margin  "  the  Ten  Words,"  perhaps  a  gloss.  The  version 
of  the  Ten  Words  here  given  is  probably  older  than  that  of  ch.  xx.,  where  the 
laws  of  the  second  table  are  ethical.  It  differs  from  its  closer  parallel,  xx.  22- 
26;  xxiii.  10-33,  principally  in  the  omission  (perhaps  intentional)  of  the  altar 
prescriptions,  xx.  24ff.,  and  in  the  lack  of  any  reciprocal  promise  on  Yahweh's 
part  corresponding  to  xxiii.  2off.  It  seems  to  be  the  understanding  of  J. 
however,  that  Yahweh's  goodwill  is  manifested  from  the  outset  in  xxiv.  if.  9-1 1, 
and  the  prescriptions  are  given  as  the  means  of  maintaining  that  goodwill. 
Hence  after  the  peojjle's  sin  no  renewal  of  the  covenant  is  needed,  but  only  the 
pacification  of  Yahweh's  anger,  which  is  effected  by  Moses'  intercession. 


PROLEGOMENA.  159 

NUMBERS. 

Prolegomena. 

What  we  may  call  the  primitive  "  Numbers  "  comprises  the 
narratives  of  JE  relating  to  Israel's  40  years'  wandering  in  the 
wilderness,  of  which  period,  however,  all  but  a  few  months  at 
the  beginning  and  end  are  understood  to  be  spent  at  the  oasis 
of  Kadesh  (Meribath-Kadesh  in  J,  Kadesh-barnea  in  D, 
Kadesh-Meribah  in  P).  The  Hebrew  title  for  it,  Bammidbar, 
"  In  the  wilderness  "  is  therefore  really  a  more  appropriate  one 
than  our  own,  derived  from  the  versions.  This  part  of  the 
primitive  tradition  might  well  be  called  The  Book  of  the  Wil- 
derness Wandering. 

As  to  the  events  of  this  period  Israel's  traditions  were  few  ; 
and  generally  they  attach  to  suggestive  names  of  the  desert 
region  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kadesh,  and  of  the  cities  in  the 
•extreme  south  of  Palestine  which  were  the  scenes  of  Israel's 
first,  unsuccessful  attempt  to    invade  the  country. 

The  flights  of  quails,  which  are  a  phenomenon  of  the  desert 
that  might  well  persist  in  the  recollection  of  a  half-starved, 
nomad  people  as  a  special  divine  interposition,  appear  connected 
:in  this  early  narrative  with  a  suggestive  name,  Kibroth-hattaawah, 
which  the  author  interprets  as  "  graves  of  lust."  The  manna, 
which  is  to  this  day  employed  by  the  Arabs  of  the  peninsula  to 
•stay  the  pangs  of  hunger,  and  whose  Arab  name,  marui  es  shema 
"gift  of  heaven,"  shows  the  still  persisting  devout  conception  of 
its  origin,  is  another  of  the  phenomena  of  the  desert  which 
might  well  survive  even  the  dark  ages  which  followed  the  Con- 
quest, transfigured  and  idealized  in  the  popular  recollection. 
We  surely  do  not  think  amiss  in  seeing  here  the  traces  of  actual 
national  recollection.  The  story  of  the  fiery  serpents  had  a 
tangible  point  of  attachment  in  the  brazen  idol  Nehushtan,  of 
whose  destruction  by  the  reforming  zeal  of  Hezekiah  we  read  in 
II  Kings  xviii.  4.  Here,  as  so  often,  the  accommodator  (if  we 
may  invent  a  term  for  the  rebaptizers  of  the  pagan  symbols  into 
"  memorials  "  of  Yahweh  worship)  had  preceded  the  iconoclast; 


160  NUMBERS. 

for  the  event  narrated  doubtless    originates  cetiologically  from 
the  material  object,  and  not  vice  versa. 

Ancient  songs,  of  which  one  collection  is  actually  cited  by 
title  in  Num.  xxi.  14,  contributed  their  full  share  to  the  scanty 
recollections  of  this  period,  strange  fabrics  being  often  woven 
out  of  passages  whose  poetic  allusions  had  lost  their  original 
application  in  the  lapse  of  time.  That  cited  from  the  "  Book 
of  the  Wars  of  Yahweh  "  celebrates  the  conquest  of  the  city  of 
Beer  in  Moab,  (Jud.  ix.  21  ;  cf.  Beer-elim,  Is.  xv.  8),  with  pun- 
ning play  upon  the  name  [Beer=''  Well  "  ;  Beer-e/i/ii,  "  Well  of  the 
Princes  ").  "  That  is  the  well,"  says  the  historian,  "  of  which 
Yahweh  said.  Gather  the  people  together  and  I  will  give  them 
water."  The  poet  doubtless  gave  account  of  the  mustering  of 
the  people  by  the  princes  with  their  rods  of  office  (Cien.  xlix.  10) 
to  the  attack  and  conquest  of  the  city,  and,  after  the  triumph, 
the  exulting  song  of  the  victors. 

"  Spring  u]),  O  Well  ;  sjjring  up  and  flow 
The  Well,  which  the  princes  digged, 
Which  the   nobles  of  the  people  delved, 
With  the  rod  [and]  with  their  staves." 

It  is  not  impossible  that  the  story  of  the  cleft  rock  at  Meribah 
which  has  found  a  place  in  all  the  narratives,  (though  in  J  no 
trace  of  the  rod  appears)  received  its  form  (in  E)  through  the 
influence  of  this  punning  song.  "The  satiric  poets "  (cf.  Is. 
xiv.  4  for  an  example  of  the  "  proverb  " — R.  V.  "  parable  " — of 
exultation  over  a  defeated  foe)  are  again  drawn  upon  to  corrob- 
orate and  embellish  the  historian's  report  of  the  conciuest  of 
the  territory  of  Reuben,  Israel's  first  permanent  foothold,  and 
of  certain  geographical  relations  involved.  Again  the  poem 
appears  to  have  referred  originally  to  later  events,  and  is  so 
employed  in  Jer.  xlviii.  45f.  Doubtless,  however,  the  story  it  is 
connected  with  is  by  no  means  devoid  of  historical  foimdation. 
.\  much  larger  contribution  from  poetic  sources  is  the  Oracle 
of  Balaam,  the  splendid  lyric  which  forms  the  real  nucleus  of 
the  Story  of  the  Wandering.  .Mthough  the  poem  itself  mani- 
festly contemplates  the  bloom    of  national   life  under    the  reign 


PROLEGOMENA.  i61 

of  David,  and  must  emanate  originally  from  that  period,  the 
historical  setting  which  the  poet  adopts  consists  of  the  tradition 
(which  should  be  fairly  reliable)  of  Israel's  relations  with  Moab 
immediately  before  the  ciossing  of  Jordan  to  the  Conquest. 

We  are  thus  brought  to  that  which  constitutes  the  essentially 
valuable  material  in  this  ancient  collection  of  traditions  of  the 
40  years'  wandering,  the  later  reminiscences  of  Israel's  relation 
with  the  kindred  peoples  and  of  the  attacks  upon  Canaanite 
territory.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  we  are  treading  here 
upon  comparatively  farm  ground  of  actual  historical  recollection. 
The  story  of  the  unsuccessful  attempt  from  Kadesh  toward  the 
north  was  not  invented  ;  nor  is  the  connection  of  Hebron  with 
the  expedition  of  Caleb  which  attaches  to  it  (cf.  Num.  xiv.  iiff., 
with  Jos.  xiv.  6-15)  valueless.  The  story  of  repulse  and  defeat 
by  "the  Amalekite,"  or  "the  king  of  Arad,"  though  attaching 
to  a  name  (Hormah)  which  may  have  long  preceded  the  event, 
is  not  likely  to  be  the  fruit  of  imagination  only.  We  may  feel 
sure,  further,  that  the  national  recollection  is  not  at  fault  when, 
after  this  first  repulse  on  the  south,  it  represents  an  indefinite 
period  (40  years)  of  nomadic  life  in  the  desert  with  headquarters 
in  the  rich  oasis  of  Kadesh  and  the  neighboring  wells.  Even 
tradition  has  nothing  to  tell  of  this  long  period  of  depression, 
approaching  no  doubt  even  dissolution  ;  but  we  may  again  be 
sure  it  is  right  in  representing  the  next  attack  to  have  been 
made  from  the  east,  after  a  prolonged  march  around  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  Dead  Sea.  This  flank  movement  moreover 
must  have  been  effected  peacefully,  by  consent,  if  not  solicita- 
tion of  Edom  and  Moab.  There  is  no  good  reason  to  doubt 
that  an  Amorite  occupation  of  the  territory  between  Moab  and 
Ammon  had  really  taken  place,  according  to  the  story  of  E, 
xxi.  26,  and  it  may  well  be  that  this  was  the  occasion  which  led 
Israel  to  break  up  for  good  and  all  their  connections  with 
Kadesh,  and  strike  one  blow  for  their  kindred  of  Edom  and 
Moab,  and  two  for  themselves,  against  the  Amorite  beyond  Jor- 
dan. E  takes  great  pains  to  exhibit  the  careful  respect  shown 
by  Israel  on  this  march  for  the  territory  of  Edom,  Moab  and 
Ammon.     We    must,  however,  at    least  question    whether  this 


162  NUMBERS. 

respect  was  carried  to  such  an  extent  as  to  lead  them  off  the 
regular  route  of  travel  through  the  midst  of  Edom  and  Moab, 
clear  out  into  the  desert  of  Kedemoth  as  E  represents.  But  it 
is  far  from  improbable  that  after  the  victory  over  the  Amorite 
and  establishment  of  Israel  in  the  territory  of  Reuben  (the  first- 
born of  Israel,  /.  c.  first  to  come  to  settled  life)  Moab  (and 
"  Midian  in  the  field  of  Moab?")  began  to  exhibit  feelings  of 
jealousy  and  hostility  towards  a  poor  relation  whose  welcome 
was  already  worn  out  when  his  services  were  no  longer  needed. 
The  setting  of  the  poem  of  Balaam's  oracle  may  therefore 
be  derived  from  genuine  tradition.  The  settlement  of  Reuben 
(and  Gad  ?  cf.  Dt.  xxxiii.  2of.)  may  also  well  belong  to  the 
national  recollection,  though  we  cannot  of  course  accept  the 
idea  presented  by  Num.  xxxii.  in  its  present  form,  that  Moses 
assumed  to  distribute  the  territory  tribe  by  tribe,  and  that  only 
the  women  and  children  of  the  transjordanic  tribes  remained 
in  the  newly  conquered  country,  until  the  conquest  of  Palestine 
proper  was  accomplished.  Reuben  secured  a  foothold  here,  no 
doubt,  as  first  comer.  The  merit  of  loyalty  with  which  the 
national  tradition  credits  the  two  tribes,  Gad  and  Reuben  (cf. 
Dt.  xxxiii.  2of.)  was  amply  deserved,  if,  after  having  secured  a 
"  restingplace  "  for  themselves,  they  did  not  lose  interest  in  the 
fortunes  of  the  brother  tribes,  but,  when  occasion  led  these 
across  the  Jordan,  made  common  cause  with  them,  as  indeed 
was  necessary  in  order  that  Israel's  meagre  force  (Dt.  vii.  7) 
might  make  any  impression  against  the  formidable  fortresses  of 
central  Palestine. 

An  unbiassed  critical  judgment  will  scarcely  be  able  to  reject 
the  narratives  of  this  primitive  Story  of  the  Wilderness  Wan- 
dering, legendary  in  form  though  they  be,  as  historically  worth- 
less. On  the  contrary,  the  further  the  process  of  disentangle- 
ment of  the  earlier  sources  proceeds,  the  more  certain  does  it 
become  that  we  have  here  at  bottom  the  material  out  of  which 
trustworthy  history  is  made. 

As  to  the  priestly  element  in  Numbers  it  is  so  exclusively 
occupied  with  interests  concerning  the  Levitical  ritual  that  it 
scarcely  calls  for  our  further  attention.     Aside  from   its  pre- 


PROLEGOMENA.  163 

scriptions  in  regard  to  various  sacrifices  and  ceremonies  it  uti- 
lizes the  history  only  as  a  basis  for  its  ideal  classification  of  the 
tribes  and  their  inheritances,  and  sketches  in  summary  outline, 
and  from  an  artificial  and  ideal  standpoint,  a  brief  parallel  to 
the  cardinal  events  of  the  story  of  JE.  One  event,  however, 
only  lightly  touched  by  JE,  the  rebellion  of  Dathan  and  Abiram 
(E)  combined  by  Rje  with  a  somewhat  similar  narrative  of  J 
concerning  the  priestly  ambitions  of  a  certain  Korah,  P  has 
developed  at  great  length  in  order  to  set  forth  in  historical 
form  his  conception  of  the  true  dignity  of  the  Aaronic  priest. 
What  was  the  original  location,  or  getiological  occasion,  if  any, 
of  the  story  as  given  in  JE  does  not  appear.  J's  version  may 
perhaps  have  had  something  to  do  with  priestly  prerogative. 
Upon  the  basis  of  a  brief  story  in  JE  as  to  Israel's  idolatrous 
conduct  at  Shittim,  P  also  develops  quite  a  story,  whose  out- 
come is  the  establishment  of  the  priestly  succession  in  the 
house  of  Phinehas.  What  the  historical,  or  other,  basis  for  the 
story  in  JE  may  have  been,  it  is  not  possible  to  say  ;  but  both 
J  and  E  seem  to  have  had  a  part  in  it. 

With  Num.  xxvii.  12-23,  which,  however,  belongs  after,  not 
before,  the  story  of  the  allotment  of  an  inheritance  to  Gad  and 
Reuben,  P^'s  story  of  the  Exodus  obviously  draws  to  a  close. 
The  census  preparatory  to  the  distribution  of  inheritances  has 
been  taken.  All  the  directions  are  given  for  this  distribution 
beyond  Jordan  and  whatever  else  could  fall  to  the  part  of 
Moses  to  arrange  for.  These  directions  themselves  are  inter- 
mingled with  various  novellae,  laws  pertaining  to  the  ritual,  and 
a  repulsive  midrash  on  an  expedition  by  Joshua  against  Midian, 
ch.  xxxi.  In  xxvii.  i2ff.  Moses  is  at  his  last  hour  ;  he  has  received 
the  command  to  "  go  up  into  this  mountain  of  Abarim,"  and, 
when  he  has  viewed  the  land,  to  die  there  as  Aaron  had  died 
on  mount  Hor.  To  his  request  for  leave  to  appoint  a  suc- 
cessor Yahweh  accedes,  and  Moses  gives  Joshua  a  charge  in 
the  presence  of  all  the  congregation.  The  final  hour  has  come  ; 
but,  like  the  patriarchs  of  Genesis  whose  abnormally  long  lease 
of  life,  according  to  P'-,  would  not  suffer  them  to  die  for  years, 
or  even  centuries,  after  the  narrative  of  JE  has  them  stretched 


164  NUMBERS. 

upon  their  deathbeds  in  articido  mortis,  Moses  remains,  so  far  as 
P-  is  concerned,  in  a  condition  of  suspended  animation  until  the 
entire  legislation  of  Deuteronomy  has  been  introduced.  Then 
at  last,  in  Dt.  xxxii.  48ff.,  the  direction  of  Num.  xxvii.  i2ff.  is 
resumed,  and,  after  the  Blessing  of  Dt.  xxxiii.,  in  Dt.  xxxiv.  5, 
7-9  he  actually  breathes  his  last. 

The  long  period  of  silence  covering  Israel's  stay  at  Kadesh 
affords  a  natural  separation  of  the  Story  of  the  Wilderness 
Wandering,  and  the  book  of  Numbers  thus  easily  divides  itself 
into  two  sections,  §  V.  including  chh.  x.  ii-xx.  13,  relating  the 
events  From  Sinai  to  Kadesh;  S  VI.  including  chh.  xx.  14- 
xxxvi.  13  describing  the  journey,  From  Kadesh  to  the  Jor- 
dan. 

§  V.  Num.  X.  II. — XX.  13.     From  Sinai  to  Kadesh. 

In  §  v.,  as  before,  we  confine  ourselves  to  the  Tradition  of 
the  Exodus,  excluding  the  irrelevant  legislative  sections  prin- 
cipally derived  from  P^,  chh.  xv.  and  xviii.  8-32  ;  xix. 

According  to  P"'^  Israel  journeyed  in  the  prescribed  order 
from  Sinai  and  pitched  in  the  wilderness  of  Paran  ;  x.  i  if.  Here 
Moses  appoints  twelve  spies  who  explore  in  40  days  the  entire 
land  of  Palestine  up  to  Hamath,  the  extreme  limit  of  the  Sol- 
omonic domain  ;  but  return  with  an  evil  report  of  the  land  ; 
xiii.  1-16,  17  a,  21,  25,  26  a,  32.  The  people  are  rebellious  ;  but 
Joshua  and  Caleb  protest  that  the  land  is  good  ;  the  people, 
however,  are  mutinous,  until  the  appearance  of  the  Shekina/i  ; 
xiv.  if.,  5-7,  10.  Yahweh  then  pronounces  the  sentence  of  40 
years'  wandering,  till  all  the  congregation  save  Joshua  and 
Caleb  shall  have  died  ;  vv.  26-30,  34-3^-  (Certain  laws  fol- 
low in  ch.  XV.  quite  disconnected  from  the  narrative).  Korah 
and  250  followers  aspire  to  the  priesthood  but  are  swallowed 
up  alive  by  the  earth  ;  xvi.  2-7,  15a  and  parts  of  16-18,  19-24, 
27a,  and  traces  in  vv.  3 iff.  On  the  morrow  the  people  mur- 
mur against  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  are  smitten  with  a  plague, 
which  destroys  i4,7"o  ;  vv.  4'-50-  '■''"'^  '■*>*^1=^  "^  ^^^^  princes 
are  laid  up  before  the  Testimony,  and  .Aaron's  rod  buds  ;  ch. 
xvii.      Institution  of  the   Levites   as   assistants   of   the    priests; 


FROM  SINAI  TO  KADESH.  165 

xviii.  1-7.  (In  chh.  xviii.  8-32  ;  xix.,  miscellaneous  Levitical 
laws  disconnected  with  the  history  are  given).  At  Kadesh- 
Meribah  the  people  murmur  for  water,  Moses  and  Aaron  rebel 
against  Yahweh's  word  and  are  punished  ;  but  the  rock  is  smit- 
ten with  the  rod  and  gives  forth  water  for  the  people  ;  xx.  1-13, 
except  traces  of  J  in  vv.  i,  3,  5. 

The  narrative  of  E  in  Numbers  is  very  closely  interwoven 
with  J.  Passing  over  in  the  present  review,  the  Institution  of 
the  Seventy,  (xi.  i6f.,  24-30)  and  the  insubordination  of  Aaron 
and  Miriam  (ch.  xii.),  as  not  properly  belonging  to  this  section, 
(see  §  IV.  Analysis)  ;  E  probably  gave  after  xii.  15  an  itiner- 
ary of  the  journey  from  Horeb  to  Kadesh,  of  which  fragments 
may  perhaps  be  discerned  in  Dt.  x.  6f.  and  i.  if.  ;  cf.  Num. 
xxxiii.  16-36.  To  this  belonged  doubtless  the  story  of  Taberah, 
a  station  which  received  its  name  from  the  "  burning  "  sent  by 
Yahweh  in  punishment  of  murmuring  ;  xi.  1-3.  At  Kadesh 
E  gives  a  version  of  the  story  of  the  spies,  and  of  the  complaint 
and  rebellion  excited  by  their  report  ;  xiii.  17-33  i"  P^rt,  and 
traces  in  xiv.  iff.  Yahweh  commands  a  return  to  the  wilder- 
ness by  the  way  to  the  Red  Sea.  Repentant,  the  people  pre- 
sumptuously undertake  to  invade  the  country  but  meet  dis- 
aster at  Hormah  ;  xiv.  25,  39-45.  The  story  of  the  rebellion 
of  Dathan  and  Abiram  and  how  the  earth  swallowed  them  up 
is  combined  with  the  story  of  the  rebellion  of  Korah  and  On, 
xvi.  12-15  in  part,  23-34  in  part.  We  should  infer  from  the 
analogy^  of  J  (cf.  xiv.  22)  that  this  was  related  of  the  time 
before  the  arrival  in  Kadesh. 

According  to  J,  Moses  prevails  upon  his  father-in-law  Hobab 
to  accompany  Israel  from  Sinai  as  guide.  They  set  forward, 
the  ark  and  cloud  in  advance  ;  x.  29-36.  Arrived  at  Kibroth- 
hattaawah  the  people  weep  for  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt.  Yahweh 
in  anger  sends  a  wind  bringing  great  flights  of  quails  which  the 
people  devour,  and  are  in  consequence  smitten  with  a  plague. 
Hence  the  name  "  Graves  of  lust."  Incidentally  the  manna  is 
described  as  a  desert  food,  and  the  method  of  its  preparation  ; 
xi.  4-9,  10  in  part,  13,  18-23,  3i-35-  ^^-  ioc-12,  i4f.  belong  to 
§IV.;  see  above,  p.  141).  Leaving  Kibroth-hattaawah,  they  come, 


166  NUMBERS. 

after  a  stay  at  Hazeroth,  to  Kadesh  ;  whence  Moses  sends  spies 
into  Canaan  to  explore  tlie  land  and  its  defences.  The  spies 
come  to  Hebron,  where  they  find  the  three  sons  of  Anak  ;  return- 
ing, they  report  the  richness  of  the  country  and  the  great 
strength  of  the  people  ;  xiii.  17-33,  i"  part.  Israel  is  discour- 
aged, and  breaks  out  in  mutiny.  Yahweh  in  anger  proposes  to 
destroy  them,  but  is  again  appeased  by  Moses,  who  intercedes 
on  their  behalf.  They  are  doomed,  however,  to  wander  for  a 
generation  in  the  desert,  until  all  who  came  out  of  Egypt  are 
consumed.  Caleb  alone,  who  had  been  of  the  number  of  the 
spies,  but  encouraged  the  people  to  go  up,  is  excepted  from 
this  fate  and  receives  the  promise  of  the  land  trodden  by  his 
feet,  (Hebron)  ;  xiv.  iff.,  in  part,  8f.,  11-24,  3i-33-  -'^t  some 
time  not  specified,  but  probably  previous  to  the  arrival  at  Kad- 
esh, another  mutiny  took  place,  in  which  Korah  (?)  a  Calebite  (?) 
and  On  a  Philistine  (?)  were  principal  actors.  The  rebellion 
was  directed  against  the  prerogative  of  (Aaron  and  ?)  the 
Levites,  and  was  quelled  by  the  mutineers  being  swallowed  up 
by  the  opening  of  the  ground  ;  xvi.  if.  in  part,  12-15  in  part, 
25-33  in  part.  At  Kadesh  also  (again  previous  to  the  sending 
of  the  spies)  the  people  murmur  for  water,  and  "  strive  with 
Moses."  The  water  is  miraculously  supplied  from  the  rock,  the 
place,  Meribah-Kadesh,  taking  its  name  from  the  incident  ;  xx. 
lb,  3a,  5- 

The  usual  contrasts  in  historical  standpoint,  doctrinal  presup- 
positions, purpose,  style  and  language  between  J,  E  and  P, 
already  familiar  to  the  reader  are  the  same  in  §V.  as  before,  and 
quite  as  noticeable.  A  comparison  of  P'-"s  Story  of  the  Spies 
with  the  "  prophetic  "  account  of  the  same  is  specially  instructive 
as  to  the  development  away  from  primitive  tradition  toward 
history  (?)  as  conceived  in  the  age  of  Ezra.  In  J  the  traces  of 
the  clan-story  of  the  Calebite  stock  in  Hebron  are  still  distinct 
and  if  not  history,  we  have  here  at  least  the  material iox  history. 
Had  only  the  story  of  P'^  remamed,  the  attempt  to  discover  the 
facts  of  the  fourteenth  century  B.  C  would  have  been  almost 
hopeless.  There  is  nothing  left  but  the  dry  bones  of  the  pre- 
exilic  tradition  "  restored  "  into  a  "  history  "  whose  single  guid- 


THROUGH  THE  DESERT  OE  PARAN.  167 

ing  principle  was  the  requirement  of  a  crude  systematic  theology. 
The  story  became  what  the  theodicy  and  the  doctrinal  precon- 
ceptions of  the  writer  required  it  to  be.  This  may  be  unfortu- 
nate for  the  reader  if  the  reader  is  principally  in  search  of  a 
critical  and  scientific  knowledge  of  the  facts  of  Israel's  external 
relations  in  the  fourteenth  century  B.  C;  but  it  is  well  to  re- 
member that  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  a  trustworthy  idea 
of  the  religious  conceptions  and  internal  relations  of  Israel  in 
the  Jifth  century  B.  C,  which  is  far  more  important  to  the  Bible 
student  than  an  infallibly  accurate  critical  history  of  the  Exo- 
dus and  Conquest,  P  is  indispensable  ;  while  the  most  important 
to  all  classes  of  readers  and  students  of  the  Pentateuch  is  to 
frame  a  true  idea  of  the  development  in  religious  conceptions  and 
internal  relations  which  went  on  in  Israel  between  the  fourteenth 
century  B.  C.  and  the  fifth  ;  for  herein  was  the  teaching  of  God, 
For  this  purpose  it  is  most  helpful  to  leave  J  and  E  and  P  to 
compare  with  one  another. 


I  Chh.  x-xii.     Through  the  Desert  of  Paran. 
ANALYSIS. 

The  latter  part  of  Num.  x.  is  devoted  to  a  description  of  the  departure 
of  Israel  from  Sinai  ;  but  is  by  no  means  the  uniform  product  of  a  single 
pen.  Vv.  I  if.  in  fact  carry  us  on  to  the  point  where  we  stand  at  the  end 
of  ch.  xii.  But  detailed  and  explicit  as  is  the  statement  in  vv.  iif.,  it  is 
much  too  cursory  for  the  writer  of  vv.  13-^8,  who  has  before  his  eyes  the 
elaborate  provisions  for  breaking  camp  in  ch.  ii.  Accordingly  he  makes 
room  for  a  second  and  more  detailed  statement  of  the  departure  by 
means  of  the  otherwise  utterly  meaningless  verse  13  (see  note  zn  toe.) 
Bui  not  even  yet  are  we  permitted  to  think  the  departure  actually  made. 
Vv.  29ff.  carry  us  back  again  to  a  time  considerably  previous,  m  which 
Moses  is  negotiating  with  his  father-in-law,  Hobab  the  son  of  Reuel,  who 
is  all  at  once  and  unexpectedly  with  them  again  at  "  the  mount  of  the 
Lord  "  (ct.  Ex.  xviii.  27),  to  serve  as  their  guide.  ''And  he  said,  Leave 
us  not,  I  pray  thee  ;  for  as  much  as  thou  knowest  how  we  are  to  encamp 
in  the  wilderness,  and  thou  shalt  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes."  It  transpires 
in  the  subsequent  history   (Jud.  i.  16;  iv.    11;  I   Sam.    xv.  5f.;  xxvii.  10; 


168  AUMJUCRS, 

XXX.  29)  that  Hobab  consented,  and  went  with  Israel ;  but  what  then  of 
the  divine  guidance  by  means  of  the  pillar  of  fire  and  cloud  so  elaborately 
described  in  ix.  15-23?    Either  one  guide  or  the  other  was  superfluous. 

Finally  the  departure  is  once  more  stated  to  have  taken  place  in  vv. 
33f.  But  here  is  an  equally  great  disagreement  with  the  story  of  vv.  1 1- 
28.  There,  in  accordance  with  the  positive  requirement  of  the  priestly 
law,  the  tabernacle  is  guarded  on  each  side,  in  front  and  behind,  by  three 
tribes,  always  maintaining  the  ceiitral  position.  Here  it  certainly  is 
stated  that  the  ark  went  in  advance  of  the  people,  and,  it  even  seems  to 
say,  three  days'  journey  in  advance  (see  note  in  loc). 

It  is  not  difficult  to  discover  from  the  highly  characteristic  language 
(see  refs.),  from  the  presence  of  Hobab  (not  "  Jethro  ")  and  from  subse- 
quent references  (Jud.  i.  16  ;  iv.:  1 1  J  ;  ch.  xiv.  14)  that  vv.  29-36  are  J's ; 
while  the  priestly  origin  of  vv.  11-28  needs  no  demonstration. 

In  ch.  xi.  the  principal  difficulty  is  caused  by  the  inappropriateness  of 
the  verses  which  we  have  already  seen  must  belong  elsewhere  (§IV. 
Analysis  3).  Moses'  vehement  expostulation  with  Yahweh,  and  reference 
to  words  which  Yahweh  has  not  here  used  at  all,  constitutes  a  singular 
interruption  to  the  story  of  the  quails,  which  from  vs.  lob  should  proceed 
to  vs.  13  and  vv.  18-23.  The  story  is  only  mutilated  by  the  introduction 
of  an  entirely  different  subject,  viz.  the  lightening  of  Moses'  responsibili- 
ties ;  and  this  is  even  more  true  of  the  account,  vv.  i6f.,  24-30,  in  which 
the  sequel  to  Moses'  complaint  is  the  appointment  of  the  Seventy,  than  of 
that  whose  sequel  we  have  seen  to  be  Yahweh's  promise  himself  person- 
ally to  go  with  Moses  and  relieve  him  of  the  burden,  Ex.  xxxiii.  12-23; 
.\xxiv.  6-9.  The  intercalated  portions  have  much  more  affinity  with  one 
another  than  with  the  story  whose  connection  they  so  rudely  break  into. 
As  they  are  derived  partly  from  J,  partly  from  E  the  probability  is  that 
the  displaced  elements  (vv.  iif.,  I4f.,  J)  were  brought  hither  in  connection 
with  i6f.,  24-30  (E)  by  Rd,  after  they  had  previously  been  amalgamated 
by  Rje  in  Ex.  xxxiii.  After  the  removal  of  this  intrusive  element  ch.  xi. 
from  vs.  4  on  is  a  perfectly  uniform,  consistent  and  characteristic  narra- 
tive of  J  (cf.  vv.  4  and  21,  with  Ex.  xii.  37f ;  and  vs.  31  with  Ex.  \.  13, 
19;  xiv.  21  and  see  refs.),  the  obvious  parallel  to  EP  in  Ex.  xvi.  and 
source  of  P's  description  of  the  manna;  cf.  vv.  7-9  with  Ex.  xvi.  31,  14  ; 
vv.  4-6  with  Ex.  xvi.  3,  and  "the quails,"  Ex.  xvi.  13.  The  apparent  in- 
consistency between  vv.  i9f.  and  33  is  removed  by  proper  translation  (See 
note  in  he.)  Vv.  7-9  are  not  displaced  (Wellhausen),  but  the  description 
of  the  manna  is  introduced  in  this  casual,  incidental  way,  as  of  something 
employed  since  the  beginning,  but  only  now  mentioned,  for  the  reason 
that  J  regards  it  only  as    one  of    the   normal  products  of  the   desert,  un- 


X.  13-      THROUGH  THE  DESERT  OE  PAR  AN.  1(59 

familiar  indeed  to  his  readers,  and  to  be  considered  in  a  special  sense 
"  \ht  gift  of  heaven  "  (but  not  exceptional  in  the  desert).  In  common 
with  the  modern  manna  gatherer  he  doubtless  believed  it  to  drop  from 
heaven  (there  are  indications  of  a  similar  belief  as  to  the  origin  of  honey  ; 
cf.  I  Sam.  xiv.  26)  ;  but  did  not  regard  it  as  limited  to  the  Exodus  period, 
or  specially  given  for  Israel's  benefit ;  hence  he  defers  the  description  of 
it  until  the  story  of  Israel's  murmuring  for  flesh  furnishes  special  occa- 
sion. The  combination  of  the  manna  story  with  that  of  the  quails  in  P'-, 
on  the  contrary,  Ex.  xvi.  13,  is  purely  artificial,  and  can  only  be  explained 
by  the  dependence  of  P^  on  Num.  xi. 

As  between  J  and  E  it  is  impossible  to  determine  with  certainty  the 
derivation  of  vv.  1-3.  Vv.  4ff.  (J)  could  perfectly  well  connect  with  x. 
34  and  we  should  understand  the  failure  to  give  the  name  of  the  station 
reached  in  x.  34  as  due  to  the  intention  to  narrate  its  origin.  So  ch. 
xxxiii.  in  fact  makes  Kibroth-hattaawah  the  first  station  after  Sinai.  But 
unless  we  make  the  violent  supposition  that  Taberah  and  Kibroth  were 
the  same  place  there  is  no  room  for  vv.  1-3  between.  The  intercession 
of  Moses  is  also  a  strong  evidence  of  E.  (See  refs.).  The  passage 
should  of  course  come  after  ch.  xii. 

Ch.  xii.  is  universally  recognized  as  E's.  "  Prophecy  "  as  the  mark  of 
greatness,  vs.  6 ;  the  attitude  towards  Aaron ;  the  representation  of  the 
Tent  of  Meeting  without  the  camp,  and  the  pillar  of  cloud  standing  at 
its  door ;  the  interest  in  Miriam,  are  all  of  great  significance ;  but  the 
most  important  characteristic  is  found  in  the  poetic  citation,  vv.  6-8,  in 
which  we  have  outlined  the  precise  conception  of  divine  communications 
which  underlies  the  entire  history  of  E,  viz.  "  by  visions  and  dreams," 
(see  refs.)  with  the  sole  exception  of  Moses  (cf.  Ex.  xxxiii.  11).  The 
true  position  of  Num.  xii.  we  have  already  seen  to  be  after  Ex.  xviii.  It 
is  attached  to  the  itinerary  of  P  (cf.  x.  12)  by  means  of  the  clause  vs. 
1 6a,  taken  from  J  (see  refs.). 


(P^)  Am/  it  came   to  pass  ^i/i  the   second  year,  in    the   second  \\ 
month,  on  the  twentieth  day  of  the  month,  that  -the  cloud  was  talwn 
up  from  over  the  tabernacle  of  the  testimony.     '^  And  the  children  of  12 
Israel  set  forward  according  to   their  journeys  out  of  the  wilder- 
ness   of    Sinai  ;      ami   the   cloud    abode    in     the    7i<ilderness   of 
(P3)  Paran.      *Aiid   they  first   took  tlicir  journey  according  to   the   com-  1 3 
'9:5;  Ex.    12  :  I.  4of.    16  :  I  ;  ig  :  i.     ^g^     ^^  .  3^-38.     3Ex.    17  :  i  ;  19  :  i  ;  cf.  vv.  28,  33. 


170  NUMBERS.  X.  14. 

^A  mandnunt  of  flu-  Lord  hy  tin-  hand  of  Moses.  And  in  the  first  \plac<\the 
standard  of  the  ca)np  of  the  children  of Judah  set  forward  according  to    their 

15  hosts  :  and  07'er  his  host  loas  Nahshon  the  son  of  Ain/nmadab.  And  over  the 
host  of  the  trilh'  of  the  children    of  dssachar  7uas    iVethane/   the  son   of  Ziiar. 

16  And  (Kwr  the  host  of  the  tribe  of  the  children  of  Zebnlun  was   Eliab  the  son  of 

17  Melon.     "And  the  tabernacle  ivas  taken    dmvn  ;  and  the  sons  of  Gershon  and 
I<^  the  so)is  of  Merari,  70/10  bare  the  tabernacle,  set  for7vard.     And  the  standard  of 

the  camp  of  Reuben  set  for7oard according  to  their  hosts  :  andm'cr  his  host  7vas 

19  Elizur  the  sonof  Shedenr.     And  cwer   the  host  of  the  tr/be  of  the    children  of 

20  Simeon  7vas  Shelumiel  the  son  of  Znrishaddai.     And  o7'er  the  host  of  the  tribe 
2  1  of  the  children   of  Gad  7vas  Eliasafh  the  son  of  Deuel.     And  the  Kohathites 

set  forward,  bearing  the  sanctuary  :  and  [the  other]  did  set  up    the  tabernacle 

2  2  against  they  came.     And  the  standard  of  the  camp  of  the  children  of  Ephraim 

set  forward  according  to  their  hosts  :  and  07<er  his  host-iuas  Elisharna  the  son  of 

23  Amviihnd.     And  07'er  the    host  of  the  tribe  of  the  children  of  Manasseh   7oas 

24  Gamaliel  the  son  of  Pedahzur.     And  aver  the  host   of  the  tribe  of  the  children 

25  of  Benjamin  was  Abidan  the  sou  of  Gideoni.  And  the  standard  of  the  camp 
of  the  children  of  Dan,  which  was  the  rearzvard  of  all  the  camps,  set  fortuard 
according  to  their  hosts :  and  over  his  host  was  Ahiezer  the  son  of  Anunishaddai. 

26  And  ffver  the  host  of  the  tribe  of  the  children  of  Asher  was  Pagiel  the  sou  of 
2  7  Ochran.     And  over  the  host  of  the  tribe  of  the  children  of  Naphtali  7vas  Ahira 

28  the  son  of  Euan.  '■  Thus  -vere  the  journeyings  of  the  children  of  Israel  accord- 
ing to  their  hosts  ;  'and  lliev  set  forioard.* 

29  (J)  [  .  .  •  J  And  Moses  said  unto  'Hobal),  the  son 
ofReuel  the  Midianite,  Moses'  father  in  law,  We  are 
journeying-  unto  the  place  of  which  Yahweh  said,  I 
will  give  it  you  :  come  thou  with  us,  and  we  will  %lo 
thee  good:  for  Yahweh  hath  spoken  good  concerning 

30  Israel.  And  he  said  unto  him,  \  will  not  go;  hut  I 
will   depart  to  "mine   own  land,  and  to  my  kindred. 

31  And  he  said.  Leave  us  not,  I  pray  thee;  '-forasmuch 

*2  :  10-16.  «Ex.  12:51.  'Vv.  12.  <.;.  "E.x.  2:18;  Jud.  1:16;  4:11.  »R.\.  3  :  S.  17.  cic. 
"•Gen.  12  :  16  ;  i  2  :  10,  13  ;  vs.  32.     "(jcm.  12  :  i  ;  24  :  4,  7  :  32  :  10  ;  31  :  3.     ■'■'Gen.  18  :  5,  t'tc. 

*  Vv.  J3-28,  which  simply  repeat  the  imperatives  of  ii.  3-9,  10-16  in  the  past 
indicative,  belong  to  the  later  su])plementati()n  of  the  ])riestly  law  { !'■'),  and 
seem  to  have  originated,  like  Kx.  xxxv.-xl.  after  xxvff.,  or  Num.  vii,  in  pure 
delight  in   the  endless  elaboration  of  tedious  detail  characteristic  of  this  extra- 


XI.  I.  THROUGH  THE  DESERT  OE  PAR  AN.  171 

as  thou  kiiowest  how  we  are  to  encamp  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  thou  shalt  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes.    And  it  32 
shall  be,  if  thou  go  Avith  us,  yea,  it  shall  be,  that 
what  i^good  soever   Yahweh  shall  do  unto  us,  the 
same  will  we  do  unto  thee.    [  .  .  .  ] 

(J)  And  they  set  forward  from  the  mount  of  Yahweh,  ^^ 
three  days'  journey;    ^*and  the   ark    of  the  covenant  of 
(J)  (Rp)  Yahweh  went  before  them  three  days'  jotir7iey  to 
(Rp)  (J)  seek  out  a  resting-  place >r  them.    ^^And  the  cloud  34 
of  Yahweh  was  over  them  by  day,  when  they  set  for- 
ward from  the  camp. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  ark  set  forward,  35 
that  Moses  said.  Rise  up,  0  Yahweh,  and  let  thine 
enemies  be  scattered ;  and  let  them  that  hate  thee 
flee  before  thee.    And  when  it  rested,  he  said.  Re-  36 
turn,    0  Yahweh,  unto  the  ten    thousands  of  the 
thousands  of  Israel.* 

(E) — And  the  people  were  as  hnurmurers,  [speaking]  evil  11 

"Ex.  34  :  10.  nDt.  I  :  33  ;  Ct.  2  :  17  ;  lo  :  21.  '5i4  :  14  ;  Ex.  13  :  i\i.  'Ct.  Ex.  15  :  24  ; 
17  :  3- 

ordinary  school.  (Cf.  Ezra,  if.,  Neh.  11.  i ;  f.,  etc.)  Vv.  13  and  28  are  the  charac- 
teristically repetitious  seams  by  means  of  which  the  insertion  is  patched  in  ;  cf. 
Gen.  xii.  8f.;  .xiii.  3f.  and  Ex.  vi.  10-13,  28-30. 

*  Vv.  29-32  are  only  a  fragment  of  J's  parallel  to  the  story  of  Jethro's  visit, 
Ex.  xviii  (E).  Both  the  account  of  how  Hobab  came  to  the  camp  at  .Sinai 
(e.xcept  for  the  possible  fragments  incorporated  in  Ex.  xviii),  and  of  his  answer 
to  the  prayer  of  Moses  that  he  would  be  their  guide  to  the  camping-places  in 
the  desert,  are  omitted  ;  the  former,  because  it  duplicated  E  ;  the  latter  because 
it  contradicted  P  (ix.  lyff  ). — Vs.  t^t^  is  manifestly  corrupt  in  text,  the  language 
(see  Couard,  Z.  A.  IV.  xii.  i,  p.  62)  indicating  the  hand  of  Rp.  But  Rp.  could 
not  of  course  have  spoken  of  the  ark  going  before  the  host  (cf.  ch.  ii. )  of  his 
own  motion.  The  inconsistency  with  vs.  31  and  awkwardness  of  the  repeti- 
tion "three  days'  journey  "  indicate  an  interference  with  the  original,  which 
may  have  declared  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  Ex.  xxxiii.  14.  No  sufficient 
reason  appears  to  suspect  traces  of  E,  (DilJmann)  here  or  in  35f.,  though  the 
latter  have  no  intrinsically  decisive  characteristics.  To  reject  the  whole  of 
33b,  34  as  from  R  (Couard),  is  quite  out  of  the  question  ;  cf.  Dt.  i.  it^\  P2x. 
xiii,  2if.,  but  especially  Nu.  xiv.  14,  from  which,  and  from  vs.  35,  we  can  see 
what  the  original  form  must  have  been.  The  poetic  fragment  vs.  35f.,  is  of 
course  very  ancient,  derived  no  doubt  from  the  actual  early  practise,  as  well  as 
from  J's  anthology. 


172  NUMBERS.  XI.  2. 

in  the  ears  of  Yahweh  :  and  when  Yahweh  heard  it  his  anger 
was   kindled  ;  and   the  -^fire   of  Yahweh  burnt  among  them, 

2  and  devoured  in  ^the  uttermost  part  of  the  camp.  And  the 
people  cried  unto  Moses  ;  and  Moses  *prayed  unto  Yahweh, 

3  and  the  fire  abated.  And  the  name  of  that  place  was  called 
Taberah  :  because  ^the  fire  of  Yahweh  burnt  among  them. — 

4  (J)  And  the  '^iiiixed  multitude  that  was  amou§- 
them  fell  a  lustiug  :  aud  the  childreu  of  Israel  als(» 
wept  agaiu,  aud  said,  "Who  shall  give  us  flesh  to  eat? 

5  We  remeiuber  the  flsh,  which  we  did  eat  iu  Egypt  for 
uought ;    the  cucuuihers,  aud  the  melous,   aud  the 

6  leeks,  aud  the  ouious,  aud  the  garlic :  hut  uow  our 
soul  is  dried  away ;  there  is  uothiug  at  all :  we  have 

7  uought  save  this  mauua  to  look  to.  "^Aud  the  mauua 
was  like  coriauder  seed  aud  the  appearauce  thereof 

8  as  the  appearauce  of  ^hdelliuui.  The  people  Aveut 
ahout,  aud  gathered  it,  aud  grouud  it  iu  mills,  or 
heat  it  iu  mortars,  aud  ^'seethed  it  iu  pots,  aud  made 
cakes  of  it :  aud  the  taste  of  it  was  as  the  taste  of 

9  fresh  oil.    Aud  wheu  the  dew  fell  upou  the  camp  iu 

10  the  uight,  the  mauua  fell  upou  it.  Aud  Moses  heard 
the  people  "Aveepiug  throughout  their  fauiilies, 
1  every  mau  at  the  door  of  his  teut  :  aud  the  auger  of 
Yahweh   was  kiudled  greatly.*— [  .  .  .  ]    aud  fMoses 

11  was  displeased.  Aud  Moses  said  uuto  Yahweh, 
AVherefore  hast  thou  evil  ^'eutreated  thy  servaut  ? 
aud  wherefore  have  I  uot  "fouud  favor  iu  thy  sight, 
that  ^'^thou  lay  est  the  hurdeu  of  Jill  this  people  upou 

12  uie?  Have  I  couceived  all  this  people?  have  I  brought 
theui  fortli,  that  thou  shouldst  ^^say  uuto  uie,  (hirry 

'•'21:6.  ^2o:  16522:  36,  41.  -"(ien.  20:  7,  17  :  ch.  21  :  7.  ^^Dt.  9:  :!2.  "Ex.  ij:  ;;S.  'Cf.  K.x.  i6:  ;. 
8Cf.  Ex.  16:31.  14.  "Gen.  2  :  12.  '"E.-c.  16  :  23  ;  ct.  vs.  21.  "Vs.  4.  >2(Ex.  33 :  8, 10).  '^lo: 
29  and  refs.      '<Ex.  33  :  12  and  refs.     '*Ex.  33  :  1-3. 

*  The  second  clause  of  vs.  loa  might  suggest  its  lieloiiging  in  the  E  connec- 
tion (see  ref.)  ;  vs.  \o\m  is  too  awkwardly  placed  to  have  stood  originally  thus. 
Insert  before  it  the  (lisjilaccd  vs.  13. 

t  Insert  Vv.  loc — 17  and  24-30  after  Kx.  xxxiii.  3  (see  above  ]).  14111'  ;  and  cf. 
l)t.  i.  8ff.).      Vs.  17c  is  possibly  from  the  hand  of  Rjc,  but  see  refs. 


XI.  22.  THROUGH  THE  DESERT  OF  PARAN.  173 

them  ill  tliy  bosom,  as  a  nursing-father  carrieth  the 
sncking  child,  unto  the  ^'^laiid  which   thou    swarest 
unto  their  fathers  ?— Whence  should  I  have  flesh  to  13 
give  unto  all  this  people  \  for  ^'tliey  weep  unto  me, 
saying,  give  us   flesh,  that  we  may  eat.— ^^I  am  not  14 
able  to  bear  all  this  people  alone,  because  it  is  too 
heavy  for  me.    And  if  thou  deal  thus  with  me,  kill  15 
me,  I  pray  thee,  out  of  hand,  if  I  have  found  favor 
in  thy  sight ;  and  let  me  not  see  my  wretchedness. 

(E)  ^^And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Gather  unto  me  16 
seventy  men  of  the  elders  of  Israel,  whom  thou  knowest  to 
be  the  elders  of  the  people  and  officers  over  them  ;  and 
bring  them  unto  the  tent  of  meeting,  that  they  may  stand 
there  with  thee.  And  I  will  come  down  and  talk  with  thee  17 
there  :  and  I  will  take  of  the  spirit  which  is  upon  thee,  and 
will  put  it  upon  them  ;  -"and  they  shall  bear  the  burden  of 
the  people  with  thee,  that  thou  bear    it  not  thyself  alone. — 

(J)  [  .  .  .  ]  And  say  thou   unto  the  people,   ^^Sanc-  18 
tify  yourselves  'against  to-morrow,  and  ye  shall  eat 
flesh  :  '^for  ye  have  wept  in  the  ears  of  YahAveh,  say- 
ing, Who  shall  give  us  flesh  to  eat  ?  for  it  was  well 
with  us  in  Egypt :  therefore  Yahweh  will  give  you 
flesh,  and  ye  shall  eat.    -^Ye  shall  not  eat  one  day,  19 
nor  two  days,  nor  five  days,  neither  ten  days,  nor 
twenty  days ;  but  a  Avliole  mouth,  until  it  come  out  20 
at  your  nostrils,  and  it  be  loathsome  unto  you  :  be- 
cause that  ye  have  ^^rejected  Yahweh  which  is  among 
you,  and  have  wept  before  him,  saying.  Why  came 
we  forth  out  of  Egypt?    And  Moses  said.  The  people,  21 
among  whom  I  am,  '^are  six  hundred  thousand  foot- 
men ;  and  thou  hast  said,  I  will   give  them  flesh, 
that  they  may  eat  a  whole  mouth.    Shall  flocks  and  22 
herds  be  slain  for  them,  to  suffice  them  ?  or  shall 
all  the  flsh  of  the  sea  be  gathered  together  for  them, 
to  suffice  them  ? 


!«E.\.  33  :  land  t 

■efs.     "Vs.  4.     !8Vs.  iif.  and  refs.     '"Ex.  12  :  i8ff  ;  33  :  7-11  ;  cf.  Ex   24  : 

f.,  9;  Dt.  I  :8flf. 

2"Ex.  8  :  18,  22  ;  cf.  vv.  II,  14.    ■■;'  Ex.  19:  22;  Jos.  3  :5.    "Ex.  8  :  20,  23. 

!3Vv.  4f.     "Vv.  31 

if.     ",^.„,3,.     26Ex.  12:37. 

174  NUMBERS.  XI.  23. 

21  And  Yaliweh  said  unto  Moses,  Is  Yahweh's  hand 
waxed  short  I  now  shalt  thou  see  whether  my  word 

24  (E)  shall  come  to  pass  unto  thee  or  not— And  Moses 
went  out,  and  told  the  people  the  words  of  Yahweh  :  and  he 
gathered  seventy  men  of    the  elders  of  the  people,  and  set 

25  them  round  about  the  Tent.  "'And  Yahweh  came  down  in 
the  cloud,  and  spake  unto  him,  and  took  of  the  spirit  that 
was  upon  him,  and  put  it  upon  the  seventy  elders  :  and  it 
came  to  pass,  that,  when  the  spirit   rested  upon  them,  they 

26  prophesied,  but  they  did  so  no  more.  But  there  remained 
two  men  in  the  camp,  the  name  of  the  one  was  Eldad,  and 
the  name  of  the  other  Medad  :  and  ^Hhe  spirit  rested  upon 
them  ;  and  they  were  of  them  that  were  written,  but  had 
not   gone  out  unto  the    Tent  :  and  they  prophesied  in  the 

27  camp.     And  there    ran  a  young  man,  and  told   Moses,  and 

28  said  Eldad  and  Medad  do  prophesy  in  the  camp.  And 
'^Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  the  minister  of  Moses,  one  of  his 
chosen  men,*   answered    and   said,  My    lord   Moses,  forbid 

29  them.  And  Moses  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  jealous  for  my 
sake  ?  would   God  that  all  Yahweh's  people  were  prophets, 

30  that  Yahweh  would  put  his  spirit  upon  them  !  And  Moses 
gat    him    into    *'the  camp,    he  and  the   elders     of  Israel. — 

31  (J)  And  there  went  forth  a  ^Vind  from  Yahweh  and 
brought  quails  from  the  sea,  and  let  them  fall  by  the 
camp,  about  a  day's  journey  on  this  side,  .and  a  day's 
journey  on  the  other  side,  round  about  the  camp,  and 

32  about  two  cubits  above  the  face  of  the  earth. f  And 
the  people  rose  up  all  that  day,  and  all  the  night, 
and  all  the  next  day,  and  gathered  the  quails :  he 
that  gathered  least  gathered  ten  "homers  :  and  they 
spread  them  all  abroad  for  themselves  round  about 

"Ex.  33:9;  Nu.  12  :5  ;  Dt.  31  :i5.  ^ovs.  17.  29Ex.  24  :  13  ;  32  :  17  ;  33  :  11.  3»Nu.  12: 
i4f.    ^'Ex.  10  :  13,  19  ;  14  :  21.    ^'•'Ex.  16  :  18. 

*  Translate  with  R.  V.  margin,  "from  his  youth  ;  "  cf.  Ex.  xxxiii.  10.  This 
characterization  of  Joshua,  as  against  the  introduction  in  Ex.  xvii.  8ff.  shows 
this  passage  to  have  originally  stood  first. 

t  /.  c.  flying  so  low  as  to  be  within  easy  reacli. 


XII.  6.  THROUGH   THE  DESERT  OF  PARAN.  175 

the  camp.    While  the  flesh  was  yet  between  their  zi 
teeth,*  ere  it  was  chewed,  ^^the  auger  of  Yahweh 
was  kindled  against  the  people,  ^*and  Yahweh  smote 
the  people  with  a  very  great  plague.     And  the  name  34 
of  that  place  was  called  Kibroth-hattaavah :  because 
there  they  buried  the  people  that  lusted.   ^^From  Ki-  35 
broth-hattaavah  the    people  journeyed  unto   Haze- 
roth  ;  and  they  abode  at  Hazeroth. 

(E)  And  Miriam  and  Aaron  ^spake  against  Moses  be-  12 
(Rp)  cause  of  ^the  Cusliite  woman  whom  he  had  married  :  for 

(E)    he  had  married  a  Ciishitcivoman.  "^     And  they  said,  Hath  Yah-     2 

weh  indeed  spoken  only  with    Moses  ?  %ath  he  not  spoken 
also    with    us  ?      And    Yahweh    heard    it.     Now   *the    man    3 
Moses  was  very  meek,  above  all   the  men   which   were  upon 
the  face  of  the   earth.     And   Yahweh   spake   suddenly  unto    4 
Moses,  and   unto   Aaron,    and  unto   Miriam,    ^Come  out   ye 
three  unto  the  tent  of   meeting.     And   they  three  came  out. 
eAnd  Yahweh  came  down  in  a  pillar  of  cloud,  and  stood  at    5 
the  door   of  the   Tent,  and  called  Aaron  and   Miriam  :  and 
they  both  came   forth.     And   he  said,  Hear  now  my  words  :    6 
if    there    be    a   "prophet  among   you,    I    Yahweh  will  make 

33Vv.  I,  10.  34Ex.  32  :  35.  35Ex.  12  :  37  ;  ch.  12  :  16.  '21  :  5,  7  ;  vs.  8.  -E.x.  18  :  5. 
'I  Sara.  2  :  27-30.  -"E.x.  11:3.  ^E.x.  33  :  7ff.  "Ex.  33  :  7-11  ;  ch.  11.  i6ff.,  24ff.  '0611.20: 
7  ;  Ex.  15  :  20  ;  ch.  11  :  17,  26-29  ;  Dt.  34  :  10. 

*  Not  in  contradiction  with  vv.  igf.  In  the  preceding  verse  the  preparation 
of  quantities  of  the  flesh  by  drying  and  curing  in  the  sun  is  described.  The 
plague  came  "  while  the  flesh  was  yet  between  their  teeth,  ere  it  was  con- 
sumed," /.  e.  before  the  stock  was  exhausted. 

t  The  explanatory  clause  vs.  ib  is  omitted  by  Vulg.  and  is  obviously  only  a 
fruitless  redactional  attempt  to  supply  lost  information.  According  to  J  Zip- 
porah  is  a  Midianite.  If  the  harmonistic  interpolations  of  Rje  in  Ex.  iii.  i ; 
xviii.  I.  be  removed  (see  notes  hiloc.)  there  is  nothing  in  E  to  prevent  the  sup- 
position that  the  daughter  of  Jethro  (nameless  in  E)  is  here  referred  to.  The 
fact  that  the  story  of  Jethro's  visit,  bringing  Moses'  wife  and  sons  (Ex.  xviii. ), 
must  in  the  original  order  have  almost  immediately  preceded  Nu.  xii.,  corrobo- 
rates this  idea,  and  there  is  absolutely  no  ground  for  supposing  an  otherwise 
unheard-of  marriage  of  Moses.  The  reference  in  vs.  2  is  perhaps  to  the  mate- 
rial missing  before  Ex.  ii.  i. ;  see  note  in  loc. 


176  NUMBERS.  XII.  7. 

myself  known  unto  him  in  a  ^vision,  I  will  speak  with  him  in 

7  a  dream.     My  servant  Moses  is   not  so  ;  he  is  faithful  in  all 

8  mine  house  :  with  him  will  I  speak  ^mouth  to  mouth,  even 
manifestly,  and  not  in  dark  speeches  ;  and  the  form  of  Yah- 
weh  shall  he  behold  :  wherefore  then  were   ye  not  afraid  to 

9  ^"speak  against  my  servant,  against  Moses  ?"  And  the  anger 
of  Yahweh   was    kindled  against    them  ;  and    he    departed. 

10  And  the  cloud  removed  from  over  the  Tent  ;  and,  behold 
Miriam  was  ^-leprous,  as  [white  as]  snow  :  and  Aaron  looked 

11  upon  Miriam,  and  behold,  she  was  leprous.  And  Aaron  said 
unto  Moses,  Oh  ^^my  lord,  lay  not,  I  pray  thee,  "sin  upon 
us,  for  that  we   have   done   foolishly,  and   for  that  we  have 

12  sinned.  Let  her  not,  1  pray,  be  as  one  dead,  of  whom  the 
flesh  is  half  consumed   when   he  cometh  out  of  his  mother's 

13  womb.     And  Moses  cried   unto  Yahweh,  saying.  Heal  her,  O 

14  God,  *I  beseech  thee.  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  If  her 
father  had  but  spit  in  her  face,  should  she  not  be  ashamed 
seven  days  ?  let   her  be   shut   up  ^^without   the   camp  seven 

15  days,  and  after  that  she  shall  be  brought  in  again.  And 
Miriam  was  shut  up  without  the  camp  seven  days  :  and  the 
people  journeyed   not  till   Miriam   was    brought   in  again. f 

16  (J)  And  afterward  the  people  journeyed  from  Haze- 

(Rp)  roth,  and  ^*  pitclied  in  t/w  '.oUdemess  or  Paran.X 

'■Gen.  15  :  I  ;  46  :  2.  "Ex.  33  :  u  ;  Dt.  34  :  10.  '"Vs.  i  and  refs.  "11  :  i,  10.  i^Dt.  24  : 
9  :  cf.,Ex.  4  : 6.  '^Ex.  32  :  22.  "<Gen.  20 :  9  ;  Ex.  32  :  21,  31  ;  ch.  14  :  40,  etc.  ;  cf.  22:34. 
i^Ex.  33  :  7.  >«Ct.  10  :  n. 

*  rrobably  we  should  read  al-iia  "  not  so,"  for  El-ini,  "  ()  God." 
t  Vv.  6-8  are  poetic  in  form,  but  contain  the  doctrinal  a.xiom  which  seems  to 
lie  at  the  basis  of  all  accounts  of  theophanies  in  Ji.  Vv.  3  and  10  contain 
each  a  single  expression  characteristic  of  J,  and  Dillmann  concludes  that  there 
must  therefore  be  an  admixture  in  the  story  of  some  J  material.  But  there  is 
no  sign  of  duplication,  and  the  section  as  a  whole  can  be  assigned  to  none  but 
E. 

t  Kadesh,  and  not  "the  wilderness  of  Paran  "  is  the  scene  of  the  following 
event  in  JE  (xiii.  26).  But  1'  locates  it  as  here  ;  cf.  x.  12  ;  xiii.  3,  26.  The 
phra.ses  here  may  be  from  P  after  x.  12,  or  a  harmonistic  alteration  from 
"  Kadesh  "  by  R. 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SPIES.  Yil 

2.  Chh.  xiii-xiv.     The  Story  of  the  Spies. 
AA'.-ILVS/S. 

Moses  sends  one  representative  of  each  tribe  to  explore  the  land  of 
Canaan  and  its  defences,  including  J oshua_aiid_Caleb. ;  xiii.  1-20.  They 
bring  back  a  discouragingjifiport ;  xiii.  21-33.  The  people  rebel,  exciting 
Yahweh's  anger ;  xiv.  i-io.  Moses  intercedes  and  secures  for  them  a 
mitigation  of  punishment;  vv.  11-25.  Yahvveh  addresses  Moses  and 
Aaron  with  reproaches  against  the  people,  and  condemns  all  save  Caleb 
and  Joshua  to  die  in  the  wilderness.  The  ten  other  spies  are  smitten  at 
once  ;  vv.  26-38.  The  people  are  penitent,  and  resolve  to  invade  the 
land,  but  meet  disaster  at  Hormah  ;  vv.  39-45. 

In  chh.  xiii.,    xiv.    we    find  the    usual   conglomeration,  the    composite  \ 
character  of  the  material  being  perhaps  somewhat  more   apparent  than  I 
usual.     Thus,  as    to  geographical   conception,  in  the   element    agreeing 
with  Nu.  X.  12  ;  xii.  16  (P-),  which  appears  in  vs.  3  and    part  of    26a,  the 
point  of   departure    and    of    return  is  "  the  wilderness   of    Paran."     The  ^ 
twelve  spies   in    this  story    experience  no    more    opposition,  difficulty  or 
danger  in  exploring    the    land    than  if   they    were    transported   invisibly 
through    the   air,  without    susceptibility   to  the  needs   and  limitations  of 
ordinary  men.     Accordingly  they  inspect  the   entire  country   from    its 
extreme  southern  to  its  extreme  northern  boundary  "  from  the  wilderness 
of  Zin  unto  Rehob,  to  the  entering  in  of  Hamath,"  ina  tour  of  40  day£ 
duration.     Consistently  the  question  of  what  the  present  inhabitants  may 
have  to  say  as  to  the  occupation  of  their  land  by  Israel  does  not  seem  so 
much  as  to  present  itself  to  the  author's  mind.     The  ten  unworthy  spies 
report  on  their  return  that  the  land  costs  more  to  cultivate  than  it  is  worth 
(vs.  32a  ;  cf.  Lev.  xxvi.  38  ;  Ez.  xx.xvi.  13)  ;  only  Joshua  and  Caleb  indig- 
nantly protest    before  the    people  "  saying.  The   land,  which  we  passed  , 
through  to  spy  it  out,  is  an  exceeding  good  land."  The  ten  men  are  slain. 
"  because  they  made  the  congregation  to  murmur,  by  bringing  up  an  evil 
report  against  the  land,"  xiv.  36f. 

On  the  other  hand  we  have  a  second  element  which  represents  that 
the  spies  went  up  but  a  little  way  into  the  Negeb  ("  the  South,"  vs.  22) 
and  came  to  Hebron.  The  point  of  departure  and  return  is  "  Kadagh  " 
(vs.  26  cf.  ISIu.  xxxii.  8;  Dt.  i.  19;  Jos.  xiv.  6).  The  object  of  investiga-/^ 
tion  is  partly  the  quality  of  the  land,  but  largely,  if  not  principally,  the 
character  of  the  inhabitants  and  the  strength  of  their  defences.  The 
report  of  the  spies  is  not  in  the  least  unfavorable  to  the  land.  Quite  the 
contrary.     They  acknowledge    that,  "  It  floweth  with    milk  and  honey;" 


178  NUMBERS. 

they  bring  with  them  a  great  cluster  of  grapes  to  witness  to  its  extraor- 
dinary fertility.  The  discouragement  of  the  people  is  caused  simply  by 
their  report  of  the  great  strength  of  the  inhabitants  and  their  defences. 
With  this  representation  Dt.  i.  19-46  agrees  to  the  extent  of  flat  contra- 
diction of  the  other ;  cf.  Dt.  i.  25  wit!)  Num.  xiii.  32.  A  still  more 
remarkable  contrast  in  the  representation  of  these  same  elements  appears 
in  the /c'rjTfw;;^/ of  the  expedition.  In  that  whose  scene  is  Kadesh  and 
the  region  of  Eshcol  and  Hebron  (southern  Judah)  Joshua  does  not  ap- 
pear as  one  of  the  spies.  To  quote  from  Prof.  Driver's  analysis  {Ini?-od. 
to  O.  T.  p.  58)  "  Caleb  alone  stills  the  people  and  is  exempted  in  conse- 
quence from  the  sentence  of  exclusion  from  Palestine  (xiii.  30  ;  xiv.  24)  ; 
in  P  [the  '  Zin  to  Rehob  '  element]  Joshua  as  well  as  Caleb  is  among 
the  spies ;  both  are  named  as  pacifying  the  people,  and  are  exempted 
acc(jrdingly  from  the  sentence  of  exclusion  (xiv.  6,  30,  38  ;  cf.  xxvi.  65, 
P).  This  last  difference  is  remarkable,  and  will  meet  us  again  ;  had  the 
whole  narrative  been  by  a  single  writer,  who  thought  of  Joshua  as  acting 
in  concert  with  Caleb,  it  is  difficult  not  to  think  that  Joshua  would  have 
been  mentioned  beside  Caleb— not,  possibly,  in  xiii.  30,  but— in  xiv.  24. 
when  the  exemption  from  the  sentence  of  exclusion  from  Palestine  is 
first  promised."  In  the  subsequent  narrative  of  J  (Jos.  .xiv.  6-15  ;  xv.  14- 
i9=Jud.  i.  20,  10-15)  Hebron  becomes  the  portion  of  Caleb,  because 
his  brethren  that  went  up  with  him  when  Moses  sent  them  to  spy  out 
the  land  discouraged  the  people,  but  he  wholly  followed  Yahweh.  Caleb 
in  fact  had  received  at  the  time  (cf.  Jos.  xiv.  9  with  Num.  xiv.  24)  the 
promise  that "  the  land  whereon  his  foot  had  trodden."  Hebron  and 
"  the  cities  great  and  fenced,"  "  where  were  the  Anakim,  Ahiman,  Shes- 
hai  and  Talmai,"  should  be  his.  The  passage  in  Joshua  has  been 
worked  over  by  Rd,  but  the  original  sense  unmistakably  corroborates 
the  representation  of  that  element  in  Num.  xiii.  f.  where  Caleb  alone 
opposes  the  report  of  the  men  that  went  up  with  him. 

The  combination  of  these  divergent  representations  has  been  effected 
with  skill ;  but  it  was  unavoidable  that  traces  should  remain  of  incon- 
gruity, disagreement  and  duplication.  Thus  it  is  plain  that  xiii.  32  is 
parallel  to  vs.  21,  vs.  32  to  vv.  27-31,  and  xiv.  26-34  in  general  to  xiv.  ri 
22-25,  '"'"'^  '^^  mention  smaller  redundancies  and  parallels.  No  amount 
of  redactional  skill  could  preserve  vv.  8  and  i6b  and  avoid  their  appear- 
ing most  incomprehensibly  strange  after  we  have  heard  of  "  Joshua  the 
son  of  Nun,  Moses'  minister  "  repeatedly,  and  never  of  Hoshea  :  (but  cf. 
Dt.  x.xxii.  44  (Rd).  The  explanation  is  very  simple  when  we  realize 
that  this  is  in  reality  the  first  appearance  of  Joshua  in  P.  The  descrip- 
tion of  the  country,  vv.  27-29  corresponds  naturally  with   the  directions 


y 


THE  STORY  OF  THE  SPIES.  179 

given  in  vv.  ijb-ig,  but  when  tlie  exploration  is  made  to  extend  to  a 
distance  of  400  miles,  it  is  strange  that  the  report  should  relate  exclu- 
sively to  what  could  be  discovered  in  the  first  40.  Moreover  in  vs.  2^1. 
the  journey  of  the  spies  is  certainly  described  from  south  northwards. 
The  combined  text  therefore  makes  it  appear  that  the  spies  came  to 
Eshcol,  in  the  south  of  Judah,  cut  down  there,  according  to  directions, 
vs.  20,  an  immense  cluster  of  grapes  which  they  bore  on  a  staff  between 
two,  besides  other  fruit,  and  then  carried  all  this  with  them  a  journey  of 
some  800  miles  through  a  hostile  country  ! 

The  redaction  has  left  a  further  little  awkwardness  in  that  Caleb 
"  stills  the  people  before  Moses  "  already  in  xiii.  30,  whereas  the  people 
have  not  given,  so  far  as  the  present  text  shows,  the  first  sign  of  discon- 
tent or  made  any  objection  whatever  until  xiv.  iff. 

We  scarcely  need  point  out  further  evidence  of  the  need  of  analysis  ; 
it  remains  to  indicate  how  by  disentanglement  of  the  interwoven  strands 
all  these  difficulties  may  be  removed. 

All  critics  are  practically  agreed,  ist  in  general  as  to  the  portions 
assignable  to  P,  and  2nd  as  to  the  presence  of  both  J  and  E  in  the  ele- 
ment remaining  after  removal  of  P.  The  phraseology  and  view-point 
of  the  latter  are  easily  recognizable,  in  the  list  of  names,  including  both 
Caleb  and  Joshua  (cf.  xxvi.  65);  the  change  of  Joshua's  name;  "the 
wilderness  of  Paran "  as  the  starting  point  (x.  12;  xii.  i6b) ;  "Moses 
and  Aaron  "  and  "  the  whole  congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel  "  as 
the  actors  ;  "  the  glory  of  Yahweh  appearing  in  the  Tent  of  Meeting ;  " 
and  a  great  number  of  characteristic  expressions,  of  which  only  one 
need  be  mentioned,  tiir  for  "  spy  out,"  occurring  eleven  times,  and  used 
only  by  P  (and  Rp  in  x.  33).  These  make  it  easy  to  extricate  the  narra- 
tive of  P  which  appears  complete  in  xiii.  i-i7a,  21,  25,  (cf.  xiv.  34),  26a 
(except  "  Kadesh  ")  32a  ;  xiv.  la,  2b,  5-7.  10,  26-30  (Dill.  vs.  30=J,  but 
cf.  Ex.  vi.  8)  34-38. 

The  separation  of  E  from  J  is  far  more  difificult.  From  Dt.  i.  19-46 
we  are  able  to  reconstruct  the  narrative  of  JE  (no  trace  of  P's  narrative 
appears  in  Deuteronomy)  and  to  supply  certain  features  now  missing. 
Thus  it  appears  that  instead  of  the  list  of  names,  JE  contained  a  state- 
ment similar  to  Jos  iii.  12;  iv.  2,  4  (E),  that  Moses  took  a  man  from 
each  tribe,  and  that  the  suggestion  of  a  reconnaissance  emanated  from 
the  people.  The  writer  of  Deut.  i.  igff.  seems  also  to  have  had  mainly 
before  him  an  account  of  a  reconnaissance  to  Eshcol,  in  which  the  prod- 
uce of  the  country  was  a  main  consideration.  In  curious  contradiction 
with  the  element  of  P,  Dt.  i.  25  not  only  imputes  no  blame  whatever  to 
the  spies  (no  specific  reason  appears  in  the  whole  chapter  for  the  special 


180  NUMBERS. 

favor  shown  in  vv.  36-38  to  Caleb  and  Joshua)  but  simply  says  they 
declared  the  land  to  be  "  a  good  land  "  (ct.  xiii.  32).  From  Dt.  i.  alone 
we  should  not  guess  that  the  spies  had  done  anything  but  their  duty. 
This  agrees  very  well  with  a  part  of  the  JE  element  of  ch.  xiii.  especially 
vv.  20,  23f.,  26b,  32b,  33  ;  but  it  scarcely  harmonizes  with  vv.  3of., 
although  this  series  of  passages  in  which  Caleb  is  set  in  sharp  contrast 
with  the  other  spies  is  obviously  employed  by  him.  This  slight  indica- 
tion of  a  double  point  of  view  in  the  Deuteronomist  is  fully  corroborated 
when  we  look  at  his  source.  The  duplications  of  vv.  i7b-20  are  unmis- 
takable, and  it  also  appears  that  vv.  22  and  23  are  not  consecutive,  but 
parallel.  Taking  up  the  strand  in  which  Caleb  is  contrasted  with  the 
other  spies,  we  find  that  in"xiv.  24  Caleb  receives  the  promise  of  the  land 
on  which  his  foot  had  trodden.  This  of  course  does  not  mean  "  the 
land  from  the  wilderness  of  Zin  unto  Rehob  at  the  entering  in  of  Ham- 
ath  "  (vs.  21,  P) ;  but  neither  does  it  include  Eshcol  and  its  vicintiy. 
Jos.  xiv.  12-14  gives  us  an  unimpeachable  interpretation  of  its  meaning  : 
"  Now  therefore  give  me  i/iz's  mountain  whereof  Yahweh  spake  in  that 
day  (/.  e.  Num.  xiv.  24)  ;  for  thou  heardest  in  that  day  how  the  Aiia- 
kim  were  there  and  cities  great  and  fenced  (Debir  is  mentioned  in  the 
story  of  Caleb's  conquest)  ;  .  .  .  .  Therefore  Hebron  became  the  inheri- 
tance of  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh  the  Kenizzite,  unto  this'day  ;  because 
that  he  wholly  followed  Yahweh  the  God  of  Israel  "  (cf.  Num.  xiv.  24). 
The  sequel  to  this  allotment  of  Hebron  to  Caleb  appears  in  Jos.  xv.  14- 
19  (=  Jud.  i.  10-15)  and  the  whole  together  is  the  sequel  to  J's  story  of 
the  spies,  which  now  appears  almost  in  the  light  of  a  story  of  Caleb  and 
the  conquest  of  Hebron  from  the  three  sons  of  Anak,  Sheshai,  Ahiman, 
and  Tolmai  (cf.  Jud.  1.  10).  It  includes  in  ch.  xiii.  at  least  vv.  22.  28, 
3of. 

To  E  accordingly  must  be  assigned  that  element  of  the  story  whose 
scene  is  Eshcol,  and  in  which  "the  fruit  of  the  land  "  figures  so  promi- 
nently. This  is  in  agreement  with  the  version  of  Deuteronomy,  which, 
for  reasons  to  be  hereafter  explained,  admittedly  favors  the  version  of  E. 
Vv.  20b,  23f,  and  parts  of  vv.  26  and  27  of  ch.  xiii.  are  thus  assignable 
to  E  ;  and  to  this  the  linguistic  marks  will  be  found  to  agree  (see  refs.). 
The  separation  of  the  double  strand  of  vv.  i7b-2ois  facilitated  by  a  com- 
parison of  Dt.  i.  24f.,  and  a  scrutiny  of  the  subsequent  relation  of  lu)w 
the  orders  here  given  were  carried  out  (see  refs.).  The  narrative  of  J 
seems  to  reach  a  full  stop  with  vv.  3of.,  and  accordingly  the  resumption 
of  the  report  of  the  spies  in  vv.  32f.  is  belated.  From  this  it  appears 
that  the  de.scription  of  the  giants  in  32b,  33  is  not  really  a  continuation 
of  vv.  22.  28,  but  rather  parallel  ;  and  the    identification  of  the  Xephilim 


THE  SrORY  OF  THE  SPIES.  181 

yN\\\\X\i&beni-Anakvi,  not  original  with  the  source,  but  belongs  to  the 
harmonistic  redaction  (see  note  in  loc).  The  manifestly  legendary  tone 
of  vs.  33  is  also  less  surprising  in  E  than  in  J  ;  moreover  in  the  sequel  of 
J  (Jos.  xiv.  6-15;  XV.  13-19;  Jud.  i.  10-15)  't  does  not  appear  that  the 
Anakim  were  giants,  nol"  is  there  any  mention  of  Nephiliin.  Vv.  32b, 
33  may  accordingly  be  added  with  confidence  to  the  E  element  of  ch. 
xiii.  Only  vs.  29  remains  doubtful.  Here,  in  spite  of  the  urgent  reason- 
ing of  Meyer,  Budde  and  others,  the  indications  of  E  seem  predomi- 
nant. The  argument  on  this  intricate  and  important  question  is  too 
involved  and  technical  for  these  pages  and  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
authorities  mentioned.  For  answer  to  Meyer  and  Budde  cf.  Dillmann, 
Nu.  Dt.  and  Jos,  p.  73,  to  whose  linguistic  argument  I  would  add  a  com- 
parison of  the  last  clause  of  the  verse  with  Ex.  ii.  5.  Further  consider- 
ations are  the  agreement  of  vs.  29ac  with  xiv.  25,  43,  45  (E  according 
to  both  Budde  and  Meyer ;  cf.  Jos.  v.  i  ;  xi.  3,  and  discussion  of  these 
passages  in  Bud.  Urg.  pp.  345ff.),  and  the  fact  that  the  spies'  report  in 
J  seems,  here  and  in  the  sequel,  exclusively  occupied  with  Hebron  and 
the  beni  Anak,  reaching  a  conclusion  in  vs.  28  ;  whereas  that  of  E  takes* 
in  a  wider  reach,  vv.  32b,  33  presupposing  the  mention  of  other  peoples 
besides  the  Nephilim.  After  vs.  28  we  expect  to  hear  of  the  murmur- 
ing of  the  people.  It  is  much  more  appropriate  after  vs.  28  than  after 
vs.  29,  which  contains  purely  general  information  not  at  all  terrifying, 
and  Caleb's  stilling  the  people,  vs.  30,  shows  that  originally  it  must  have 
stood  at  this  point.  Of  course,  however,  when  the  2d  and  3d  version  of 
the  spies' report  (vv.  32a,  32b,  33)  were  inserted,  the  description  of  the. 
people's  murmuring  had  to  be  postponed.  This  account  of  the  murmur- 
ing is  easily  discoverable  by  means  of  the  references  in  xiv.  31  and  Dt.  i. 
39  (but  cf.  LXX.)  combined  with  both  P  and  E  in  xiv.  iff.  The  J  element 
here  is  2art  (cf.  Ex.  xv.  24),  3b  (vs.  31),  4  (?).  Vs.  ib  must  be  from  E, 
unless  we  suppose  tu<o  rebellions  in  J  ;  for  according  to  J  (xiii.  30)  the 
murmuring  takes  place  while  Caleb  and  his  companions  and  the  people 
are  still  in  the  presence  of  Moses,  not  during  the  night.  The  linguistic 
features  of  vv.  8f.  and  the  effort  to  overcome  the  people's  fear  of  the 
Anakim  instead  of  to  counteract  the  evil  report  of  the  other  spies,  as  in 
vs.  7,  mark  these  verses  also  as  J's.  In  Dt.  i.  29  Moses  claims  to  have 
made  this  speech  himself.  If  the  words  are  Moses'  we  must  insert  them 
and  the  fragments  in  vv.  2-4  before  xiii.  30.  If  Caleb's  (P,  vs.  6)  they 
belong  between  xii'i.  30  and  31.  Vs.  3a  must  be  assigned  to  E  (cf.  vs. 
43),  vs.  4  is  from  E  or  J  ,  as  a  parallel  of  3c,  probably  the  former;  the 
rest  ot  xiv.  i  -10  is  unmistakably  from  P.  (With  vs.  2  cf.  vs.  28  and 
XX.  3,  and  see  refs.).     We  have  thus  the  story  of  J  of  the  spies  and  their 


182  NUMBERS. 

report  practically  complete  ;  and  the  insertion  of  the  fragments  in  xiv.  iff. 
in  their  necessary  position  gives  one  more  indication  that  we  are  right  in 
assigning  vs.  29  to  E,  since  no  room  is  left  it  in  J. 

In  xiv.  1 1-38  after  the  removal  of  the  priestly  element  (see  above,  p.  179) 
we  iiave  nothing  save  a  complete  and  consistent  narrative  of  Moses' 
intercession  for  the  people,  which,  in  its  characteristic  argumentation 
with  Yahweh  ;  its  phraseology  (see  refs.)  ;  its  explicit  and  remarkable 
reference  to,  and  quotation  of,  Ex.  xxxiv.  6f.  (J)  and  of  Num.  x.  33f.  (in 
vs.  14);  from  the  subsequent  reference  made  to  it  in  Jos.  xiv.  14;  and 
from  the  view-point  evinced  by  the  author  (Caleb  alone  resists  the  dis- 
couraging report  of  the  other  spies)  can  only  be  J's.  To  this  statement 
only  one  exception  is  to  be  made.  Vs.  25  is  certainly  from  E.  The 
detour  around  Edom  and  Moab  is  a  conception  peculiar  to  this  source, 
and  the  expressions,  "  by  the  way  to  the  Red  Sea  "  etc.,  are  no  less  unmis- 
takable (see  refs.);  moreover  this  "  command  "  is  referred  to  in  vs.  41 
(E).  It  should  be  observed  that  Yahweh's  utterance  to  Moses  in  vv.  20- 
24  is  not  complete  ;  for  if  we  stop  with  vs.  24  the  impression  conveyed  is 
that  Israel  is  entirely  disinherited  in  favor  of  Caleb  ;  which  cannot  be  the 
author's  intention.  He  must  have  gone  on  to  say  that  the  subsequent 
generation  should  inherit  the  land  after  the  present  has  expiated  its  unbe- 
lief in  the  wilderness.  We  know  in  fact  from  Am.  ii.  10;  v.  25,  that  the 
40  years'  wandering  was  an  integral  element  of  the  oldest  tradition.  In 
other  words  vv.  31-33  which  largely  duplicate  their  context  (cf.  vs.  32 
with  vs.  29)  are  not  to  be  classed  with  vv.  26-38  as  a  late  passage  in  imi- 
tation of  the  style  of  both  J  and  P  (so  Well.  Kuen.)  ;  but  form  properly 
the  immediate  sequel  to  vs.  24.  their  context  being  from  P,  who  here  as 
in  Ex.  xvi.  is  dependent  on  J.  to  some  extent  even  ver'oally.  By  adding 
vv.  31-33  to  vs.  24  we  obtain  still  further  confirmation  of  our  judgment 
of  vs.  25,  which  finds  no  room  in  J. 

We  are  again  in  agreement  with  critics  generally  in  attributing  vv.  39- 
45  to  E.  In  xxi.  1-3  and  Jud.  i.  17.  one  of  which  is  from  J,  if  not  both, 
we  have  a  subsequent  story  of  the  naming  of  this  place  "  Hormah  "  fiom 
the  fact  of  its  "  destruction  "  by  Israel  ;  the  former  name  having  been 
Zephath.  But  besides  this  incompatibility  with  J,  we  have  in  39b,  40a 
and  b,  41,43  and  44  phrases  characteristic  of  E  (see  refs.).  In  vv.  43 
and  45  it  is  easy  to  see  the  connection  with  vs.  25  and  xiii.  29. 

On  the  whole,  chh.  xiiif.  yield  with  tolerable  ease  and  certainty  to 
analysis,  and  the  results  are  of  subsequent  importance.  We  find,  how- 
ever, that  the  JE  element  here  has  been  removed  from  a  later  position  to 
accommodate  it  to  1'.  In  xiii.  26a//(J  or  E;  cf.  Jos.  xiv.  6,  J)  the 
people  are  already  settled   at    Kadesh,  though   the   narrative  in  xx.  113 


XIII.  17.  THE  STORY  OF  THE  SPIES.  183 

necessarily  pertains  to  the  first  arrival  there.  If  the  transfer  of  chh.  xiii 
f.  be  made,  we  find  the  E  element  connecting  directly  with-xx.  I4ff., 
where  the  command  of  xiv.  25  is  carried  out  (cf.  also  xxi.  4,  E)  and  E's 
story  of  Hormah,  xiv.  39-45,  brought  into  the  same  relative  position  as 
J's,  xxi.  1-3,  while  in  J  the  disaster  of  xxi.,  iff.  follows  suitably  after 
Yahweh's  language  in  ch.  xiv.  Finally  the  hyperbole  in  xiv.  22  is  more 
natural  and  less  exaggerated  if  the  "  provocations  "  of  chh.  xvi.  and  xx, 
1-13  have  preceded,  than  when  they  come  after. 


(P)  ^And  Yahweh  spake  unto   Moses,  saying,  "^Send  thou  13 — 2 
men,  that  they  may  ^spy  out  the  land  of  Canaan,  tvhich  I  give  unto 
the  children  of  Israel :  *of  every  tribe  of  their  fathers  shall  ye  send 
a  man,  every  one  a  ^prince  among   them.     ^And  Moses  sent  them    3 
from  the  wilderness  of  Paran  according  to   the  commandment  of 
Yahweh :  all  of  them   men  who  were   heads   of  the  children   of 
Israel.     And  these   were  their   names  :  of  the  'tribe  of  Reube7i,     4 
Shammua  the  son  of  Zaccur.     Of  the  tribe  of  Simeon,  Shaphat    5 
the  son  of  Hori.     Of  the  tribe  of  ^"/t/dah,  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephun-    6 
nch.     Of  the  tribe  of  Issachar,  Igal  the  son  of  Joseph.     Of  the  7-8 
tribe  of  Ephraim,  Hosliea  the  son  of  Nun.     Of  the  tribe  of  Ben-    9 
jamin,  Palti  the  son  of  Raphu.     Of  the  tribe  of  Zebulim,  Gaddiel  10 

the  son  of  Sodi.  Of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  {namely, \  of  the  tribe  of  1 1 
Manassek,  Gaddi  tJie  son  of  Siisi.  Of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  A  m  mi  el  \  2 
the  son  of  G^malli.  Of  the  tribe  of  Asher,  Sethiir  the  son  of  it, 
Michael.  Of  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  A^ alibi  the  son  of  Fophsi.  14 
Of  the  tribe  of  Gad,  Geiiel  the  son  of  Machi.  These  are  the  1^-16 
names  of  tlie  men  which  Moses  sent  to  spy  out  the  land.  ^And 
Moses  called  Hoshea  the  son  of  Xun  Joshua.  And  Moses  sent  i-] 
(J)  them  to  spy    out  the  loud  of   Canaan, — [   .   .   .   ]*aiicl    Said 

-Ct.  Dt.  I ;  21.  ^Vv.  16,  17,  22,  25,  32.  etc. :  ct.  zi  :  ^2  ; 
!  :  2,  14,  17,  etc.  ^i  :  16,  47  ;  26  :  55  ;  33  :  54  etc.  =3  :  24, 
2  and  refs.  vv.  4-15.  »Qt.  Jos.  14  : 6,  14  ;  Jud.  i  :  13  ; 
:  II  ;  I   Chron.   2  :  9-55.    ^Cf.   Ex.  17:  off  :  24  :  13,  etc. 

*The  personnel  of  the  expedition  according  to  J  can  be  determined  only  by 
the  sequel.  The  only  exception  to  the  disheartening  report  of  vs.  51  is  of  a 
hitherto  unknown  "  Caleb,"  vs.  30  ;  it  is  probable  accordingly  that  we  should 
supply  before  vs.  17b  some  brief  account  of  Moses'  appointing  Caleb  and 
(eleven  ?)  others  to  reconnoitre.     Caleb's    companions    may  have  been  named  ; 


■Cf.  Dt.  1:19-46: 

;  Jos.  14  :  6-15. 

Dt.  I  :  24  ;  Jos.  2  : 

1, 22,25 ;  Jud.  I 

30,  35  ;  16  •.  2.  610  : 

12  ;  4  :  37.  'Vs. 

Gen.  15:19;  36:11 

;  cf.  34  :  19  ;  3'^ 

184  NUMBERS.  XIII,  i8. 

i8  unto  them.  Get  you  up  this  way  ^°by  the  South,  and 

^  (E,)  go  up  "into  the  mountains  :  and  see  the  land,  what  it  is  ; 
(J)  and  the  people  that  dwelleth  therein,  [  .  .  .  J  whether 
(E)  they  be   ^'■'strong-  or    weak,  whether   they    be  i3few  or 

19  (J)  many;  and  what  the  laud  is  that  they  dAvell  in,  whe- 
ther it  be  good  or  bad  ;  and  w  hat  "cities  they  be  that 
they  dwell  in,  whether  in  camps,  or  in  strong  holds; 

20  (E)  and  what  the  land  is,  whether  it  be  fat  or  lean,  whether 
there  be  wood  therein,  or  not.  And  be  ye  of  good  courage, 
and   bring  of  the  ^^fruit  of  the   land.     Now  the  time  was  the 

21  (P)  time  of  the  firstripe  grapes.  So  they  went  up.,  and '^'^spic J 
out  the  land  from  the  wilderness  of  Zin  unto  Rehob,  to  the  enterina:; 

22  (J)  ///  of  Hamath.  And  they  went  up  by  the  South,  and 
came  unto  Hebron  ;  and  ^  Ahiman,  Sheshai,  and  Tal- 
mai,  the  children  of  Anak,  w  ere  there.    (Now  Hebron 

23  (E)  was  built  seven  years  before  Zoan  in  Egypt.)    And 

they  came  unto  the  valley  of  Eshcol,  and  cut  down  from 
thence  a  branch  with  one  ^^cluster  of  grapes,  and  they  bare 
it   upon  a   staff   between    two  ;   [they   brought]  also    of  the 

24  pomegranates,  and  of  the  figs.  ^"That  place  was  called  the 
valley  of  Eshcol,  because  of  the  cluster  which  the  children  of 

25  (P)  Israel  cut  down  from  thence.     And  they  returned  from  spy- 

26  v/,!^- out  the  land  at  the  end  of ''"forty  days.  Ami  they  we n^  and 
came  to  Afoses,  and  to  .Aaron,  ond  to  ail  the  eofigri'}:;atio/i  of  the 
(E)  children  of  Israel,  unto  the  li'ilderness  of  Paran  [  >  •  .  ]  to 
(Rp)  Kadesh  :  and  brought  back  word  unto  them,  and  unto  pa 

27  (J)  ^/"'  i-i"i,i:r,x,ifioii.  c'ind  shewed  them  the  fruit  of  the  land.  And 
tliey  t(dd  him,  and  said,  '^We  came  unto  the  land 
whither  thou  sentest  us,  and  surely  it  -floweth  witli 
(E)  milk  and  honey  ;[...]  and    this  is  the  fruit  of  it. 

28  (J)  «Howbeit  tlie  people  that  dwell  in  the  land  are 
strong,  and  the  cities  are  fenced,  [and]  very  great: 

'"Cf.  vs.  22  ;  ct.  29.  "Vs.  2Q  :  14  :  40,  45  01.1:24.  ''•'Vv.  28,  =.1.  '^V.s.  29.  ^*\v.  22, 
28  ;  Dt.  I  :  28  ;  Jos.  14,  12.  >^Vv.  23f,  26.  "Vs.  aand  refs.  "Jud.  1  :  lo.  "»Gen.  40  :  10. 
"Cf.  Gen.  14  :  13,  24.  2*14  :  34.  "iVs.  19.  22Ex.  3  :  8  and  refs.  "sVs.  18  ;  Dt.  1.28:  Jos.  14  :  12. 

more  probably  were  not.     Joshua  of  course  could  not  lia\c  been  of    their  num- 
ber.    For  the  (lisi)lacenu-nt  of    ]V.  in  chh.  xiiif.,  see  above  (An.ilysis  p.  (82). 


XI \'.  5-  THE  STORY  OF   THE  SPIES.  185 

and  moreover  we  saw   the  children  of  Anak  there. 

(E)  [  •  .  •  ]  Amalek  dwelleth  in  '■^*the  land  of  the  South  :  and  29 
the  Hittite,  and  the  Jebusite,  and  the  Amorite,  dwell  *^in  the 
mountains  :  and   the    Canaanite    dwelleth  by    the  sea,   and 
(J)  -"ealong  by  the    side    of    Jordan.  [  .  .  .  ]     And   "'Caleb  30 
stilled  the  people  before  Moses,  and  said.  Let  us  go 
up  at  once,  and  possess  it;  for  we  are  well  able  to 
overcome  it.    But  the  men  that  went  up  with  him  31 
said.  We  be  not  able  to  go  up  against  the  people  ;  for 
(P)  they  are  stronger  than  we.     '^AnJ  they  brought  up  an  32 

evil  report  of  the  land  which  they  had  spied  out  unto  the  children  of 
Israel,  saying.  The  land,  through  which  we  have  gone  to  spy  it  out, 
(E)  is  a  ''"land  that  eateth  up  the  inhabitants  thereof  ;  and  all  the 
people  that  we  saw  in  it  are  men  of  great  stature.  And  2)1 
{Rd)  there  we  saw  the  ^'Nephilim,  the  sons  of  Anak,  which  come 
(E)  of  the  Nephilim  :  *  and  we  were  in  our  own  sight  as  grass- 
hoppers, and  so  we  were  in  their  sight. 

(P)  (J)  "^'^'^  ^^^l  ^^"^  congregation  lifted  up  their  voice,  14 
(E)  (J)and  cried  :  and  the  people  wept  that  night —  And       2 
(P)  all  the  children  of  Israel —  mumiured  against  Moses 
and  against  Aaron  :    and  the  whole  congregation  said  unto  them, 
■  Would  God  that  we  had  died  in  the  land  of  Egypt !  or  would 
(E)    God  we  had  died  in  this  zoilderness  !     And  [  .   .   .  ]  where-     3 
fore  doth  Yahweh  bring  us  unto  this  land,  '^to  fall  by  the  sword  ? 
(J)  *Our  wives  and  our  little  ones  shall  be  a  prey : 
were  it  not  better  for  us   to    return    into  Egypt  \ 
(E)  And  they  said  one  to  another,  Let   us    make   a  captain,    4 
(P)  and  let  us  return  into  Egypt.       Thoi   Moses   aiul   Aaron    5 

"Gen.  20:  I  ;  ct.  vs.  17.  ^syg,  ,7  an^  refs.  "E.x.  2  :  5  ;  Jud.  11  :  26,  27j^  .  2-,f.  sSj^  .  35. 
ct.  Dt.  I  :  24.  2»Lev.  26  :  38  ;  Ez.  36  :  i.^  si'Gen.  6  :  4.  iVs.  5.  26  etc.  '•'20  :  3.  H'.  43. 
■•Vs.  31  ;  Dt.  1  :  39. 

-  *Vs  33a /' is  a  harmonistic  gloss  not  found  in  LXX,  intended  to  identify  the 
A'i-pliiliiit,  or  giants,  of  E  with  the  "  children  of  Anak"  of  J,  vv.  22,  28,though 
here  a  different  expression  (i^^«/-Anak)  is  used.  The  latter  are  also  taken  by 
Dtobe  giants,  perhaps  from  this  identification.  Cf.  the  gloss  in  Gen.  vi.  4, 
where  (in  spite  of  the  intervening  Flood)  the  same  Nephilim  are  identified  with 
the  Gihhorim. 


186  NC/MBh/^S.  XI  \'.  6. 

y<'//  o//  their  faces  before  "^all  t/ie  assembly  of  the  congregation  of 

6  the  children  of  Israel.  And'Joslina  the  son  of  Nun  and  Caleb 
the  son  of  Jephunneh]  7vhich  were  of  them  that  spied  out  the  land, 

7  rent  their  clothes  :  and  they  spake  unto  all  the  congregation  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  saying,  The  land,  tvhich  we  passed  through  to 

8  (J)     spy   it     out,    is   an   exceeding  good  la /id.       If     Yah  well 

delight  in  iis,  then  he  will  bring;  ns  into  this  land, 
and    give  it  nnto  us;    a  land  which  sfloAveth  with 

9  milk  and  honey.  Only  rebel  not  against  Yahweh, 
neither  fear  ye  the  people  of  the  land ;  for  they 
are  bread  for  us:  their  defence  is  removed  from 
over  them,  and  Yahw  eh  is  w  ith  us  :  fear  them  not.—* 

10  (P)  £ut  all  the  congregation  bade  stone  them  with  stones.  "^And 
the  glory  of  Yahweh  appeared  in  the  tent  of  meeting  unto  all  the 
children  oj  Israel. 

11  (J)  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  ^"How  long  will 
this  people  ^^despise  me?  and  how  long  will  they  not 
^-believe  in   me,    for    all  the  signs  which    I    have 

12  wrought  among  them?  I  will  smite  them  with  the 
pestilence,  and  disinherit  them,  and  ^^will  make 
of  thee  a  nation  greater  and  mightier  than  they. 

13  And  Moses  said  unto  Yahweh,  "Then  the  Egyptians 
shall  hear  it;  for  thou  broughtest  up  this  people  in 

14  thy  might  from  among  them  ;  and  they  w  ill  tell  it  U) 
H\w  iniiabitants  of  this  land  :  they  have  heard  that 
thou  Yahweh  ^'^art  in  the  midst  of  this  people;  for 
thou  Yahweh  art  seen  ^"face  to  face,  and  thy  cloud 
standeth  over  them,  and  thou  ^'^goest  before  tliem,  in 
a   pillar  of  cloud  by  day,  and   in  a  pillar  of  fire   by 


■'■'16  :  4,  22  : 

17  :  10.;  20 

.:6.     "Ex.  12:6. 

"Vv.  %o,  38  ;  ct.  23f.     "i-,  :  27  and  refs.      "Ex. 

10  and  rel's. 

'"Ex.  10  : 

:i :  cf.  vs.  2(1.     11 

.1:20.      ■•^P:x.  14  :3i-     '-^Ex.  32:10.      HKx.  32 

i^Gen.   50:  I 

..      "•■Ex. 

Mlu.       "Ct.     12 

:S  :  Ex.  ,;:  n.      '"Ex.  13  :2.f :  ch.  10:  30. 

*  Vv.  2a,  3b  ami  Sf.  sliould  l)c  iiiseiierl  l)efore  xiii.  30  (see  Analysis),  where 
it  is  pointed  out  that  in  Dt.  i.  2()L  vv.  Sf.  are  attributed  to  A/osi's.  'I'lie  reverse 
process  (Wellh.  Co»i/>.  p.  104)  is  impracticable,  because  according  to  xiii.  301". 
the  revolt  must  have  taken  place  wliile  Caleb  and  his  comjoanions  were  still 
standing  in  presence  of  Moses  and  the  people  ;  whereas  the  events  of  \iv.  itT, 
belong  to  the  next  day  ;  cf.  xiv.  ib  (1'..). 


XIV.  24.  THE  STORY  OF  THE  SPIES.  187 

night.    Now  if  thou  shalt  kill  this  people  as  one  man,  15 
then  the  nations  which  have  heard  the  fame  of  thee 
will  speak,  saying.  Because  Yahweh  was  not  able  to  16 
bring  this  people  into  the  land  which  he  sware  unto 
them,  therefore  he  hatli  slain  them  in  the  wilder- 
ness.   And  now,  I  pray  thee,  let  the  power  of  ^^the  17 

(Rd)    Lord    he   great,     acconllng   as   -^"thou   hast   spoken,    saying,  18 
Yahweh  is  slow  to  anger,  and  plenteous    in    mercy,  forgiving    iniquity   and 
transgression,  and  that  will  by  no  means  clear  [the  guilty]  ;    visiting  the  in- 
iquity of   the  fathers  upon  the  children,  upon  the  third  and  upon  the  fourth 

generation*    Pardou,  I  pray  thee,  the  iniquity  of  this  19 
people  according  unto  the  greatness  of  thy  mercy, 
and  according  as  thou    hast    forgiven   this    people, 
from  Egypt  even  until  now.    And  Yahweh  said,  I  20 
■^have  pardoned  according  to  thy  word :  but  in  very  2 1 
deed,  as  I  live,  and  as  all  the  earth   shall  be  filled 
with  the  glory  of  Yahweh;    because  all  those  men  22 
which  have  seen  my  glory,   and    my  signs,  which 
I  Avrought    in    Egypt    and   in  the   wilderness,   yet 
'^have  tempted  me  these  ten  times,  and   have    not 
barkened  to  my  voice ;  surely  they  shall  not  see  the  23 
land  which  I  sware  unto  their  fathers, t  neither  shall 
any  of  them  that  -^despised  me  see  it :    -^but  my  ser-  24 

i^Ex.  4  :  10  and  refs.  -"Ex.  34  :  of.  ^'Ex.  32  :  14  "^\.  17  :  2,  7.  -'Vs.  11  and  rets. 
2-)Jos.  14  :  6-15. 

*  The  accounts  in  J  of  Moses'  intercessions  (Ex.  .xxxii.  7-14;  xxxiii.  12- 
xxxiv.  7  etc.)  have  generally  undergone  revision  by  Rd,  as  in  the  present  in- 
stance. The  quotation  of  Ex.  xxxiv.  6f.  establishes  the  lateness  of  vv.  17b,  18, 
and  the  same  hand  has  doubtless  been  busy  in  the  rest  of  the  paragraph  (cf. 
LXX,),  making  the  translation  uncertain  and  construction  confused.  In  vs. 
17  read  with  LXX.,  "  let  thy  power  be  magnified,  O  Lord."  The  idea  of  the, 
original  writer  is  precisely  as  in  Jos.  vii.  8f.  (J)  ;  the  appeal  is  not,  as  in  17b, 
18,  to  Yahweh's  promise  of  mercv,  l)ut  to  his  jealousy  of  his  reputation  for 
"])ower."     Thus  17b,  iS  (Rd)  give  a  wrong  turn  to  17a  and  anticipate  vs.  19. 

t  The  LXX.  insert  here,  "  But  as  for  their  children  who  are  here  with  me,  as 
many  as  have  not  known  good  or  evil  (cf.  Gen.  iii.  5:  Ls.  vii.  15;  vs.  29  and 
xxxii.  II — LXX.)  to  them  I  will  give  the  land."  In  Dt.  i.  39  the  same  lan- 
guage appears  as  part  of  the  divine  utterance  here,  and  LXX.  may  have  taken  it 
thence.  The  fact  shows  at  least  a  recognition  by  I-XX.  that  the  pTssa^e  above  is 


188  NUMBERS  XI \'.  23. 

vaiit  Caleb,  because  he  had  another  spirit  with  him, 
and  hath  followed  me  fully,  him  will  I  bring-  into  the 
land  whereiuto  he  went ;   and  his  seed  shall  possess 

25  (E)  it.  [  •  •  .  J  Now  the  '^Amalekite  and  the  Canaanite 
dwell  in  the  valley  :  to-morrow  turn  ye,  and  get  you  into 
the  wilderness  "^by  the  way  to  the  Red  Sea. 

26  (P)  And  YaJnveh  spake  unto  Moses  and  //nfo  Aaron,  sav/ni:,, 

27  '-'How  long  [^shall  I  bear']  with  tJiis  evil  eo/igregation,  7^</iii/i 
niunnur  against  nie  /     /  have  heard  the  iniirinnri)igs  of  the  e/iil- 

2>S  Jren  of  Israet,  loliieh.  they  niunnur  against  nie.  Sax  u/ito  them. 
As  I  live,  saith  ]  'ahiceh,  surety   as  ~\ve  have  sfolrn  in  n/ine  ears, 

29  so  7177/  y  do  to  you  :  your  eareases  shatt  fait  in  this  aoilderness  ; 
and  all  that  ~''7oe;-e  junnbered  of  yon,  aeeording  to  your  whole 
number,  from    tioenty  years    old  and  upward,  ichieh  have  niur- 

30  mured  against  /ne,  si/ rely  ye  shall  not  eome  iido  the  land,  eoneernin:^ 
w/iieh  I  '^'lifted  up  my  ha /id  that  J  wo//ld  //lake  yoi/  choell  thereii/, 
save  Caleb  the  son  of   /eph//////eh,  a//d  Joshi/a  the   son  of  Nun. 

31  (J)  But  your  little  ones,  which  \ve  said  should  be  a 
prey,  them  will  I  bring-  in,  and  they  shall  know  the 

32  land  which  ye  have  ^rejected.  But  as  for  you,  your 
z:-,  carcases  shall  fall  in  this   wilderness.     And    your 

children  shall  be  *  wanderers  in  the  wilderness  forty 

years,  and  shall  bear  your  ^Svhoredoms,   until  your 

34  (P)  carcases  be  consumed  in  the  wilderness.    '^ After 

the  n//nibe/-  of  the  days  i//  whieh  ye  spied  out  the  la//d,  eve//  forty 

*^I3  :  29  ;  vv.  43.  45.  2«H.\.  13  :  18  :  ch.  21  :  4.  '^' \-j  :  lu  eu;  ;  cf.  vs.  11.  ^sVs.  2  ;  cf.  v.s.  32. 
'"Chh.  1-3.  aoE.v.  0:8.  •'"Vs.  3  :  Dt.  1  :  39.  ^"i^  :  20.  saceii.  4  :  12  ;  46  :  34.  ^*Ex.  34: 
i6.      3513:2,. 

incomplete  withiuit  the  sul)stance  of  vv.  31-33.  l>iit  Dt.  i.  20-^6  wliich  keeps 
very  close  to  Jl'",  in  Num.  .\iii.  f.,  presents  a  further  statement  in  vv.  37f. 
of  ^'ah\vch's  anger  with  Moses  for  I-srael's  sake,  and  denying  to  him  admission 
to  Ihc  land  of  jnomise  (reiterated  in  iv.  2t  ;  .\.\.\i :  3)  which  contradicts  V  (x.x. 
1-13),  and  was  certainly  ])art  of  the  older  tradition.  The  story  of  Yahweh's 
anger  with  Moses  may  not  originally  have  belonged  here  (see  above  p.  18),  or 
may  have  been  from  the  hand  of  E  or  Rjc,  but  the  concurrent  witness  of  I, XX., 
Deuteronomy  and  V  in  vv.  26-30,  34f.  who  here  reproduces,  to  some  extent 
even  verbally,  the  story  of  vv.  ri-24  (cf.  vv.  11  with  27;  21,  32  with  28;  ^^ 
with  34f. ;  and  the  />t//s  of  I.XX.  in  vs.  23  with  29b)  seems  to  indicate  the  for- 
mer existence  of  somewliat  more  of  Jl'-  in  and  after  vs.  24.  From  this  connec- 
tion, as  a]ipears  from  Dt.  i.  3S-40,  vv.  31-33  have  been  remn\(.(l. 


XIV.  45-  THE  STORY  OF  THE  SPIES.  189 

(lays,  for  everv  da  \  a  year,   shall  yc  ^'^bcar  your  iniquities,   even 
forty  years,  and  ye  shall  knoiu  my  ■"alienation.     /,   Ya/nceh,  hai'e  35 
spoken,  surely  this  will  I  do  unto   all  this  evil  congregation,   that 
are  gathered  together  against  nu-  :  in  this  Knlderness  they  shall  be 
consumed,  and  there  they  shall  die.     And  the  nwn,  which  Moses  36 
sent  to  spy  out  the  land,  who  returned,  and  '■'''^niade  all  the  congre- 
gation to   murmur  against   him,  by   bringing  up  an  einl   report 
against  the  land,  even  those  men  that  did  bring  up   an  evil  report  37 
of  the  land,  died  by   the  plague  before    Yahweh.     But  ^'^  Joshua  ^^ 
the  son  of  Nun,  and  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  remained  alive 
(E)  of  those  men   that  loent  to  spy  out  the  huid.     And  Moses  39 
told  these  words  unto  all   the  children  of  Israel :    *"and  the 
people  mourned  greatly.     "And    they   rose  up   early  in  the  40 
morning,  and  gat  them  up  to  the  top  "'"of  the   mountain,  say- 
ing,  Lo,   we  be  here,  and  will   go   up   unto  the  place  which 
Yahweh  hath  promised  :  ^'^for  we  have  sinned.     And    Moses  41 
said,  Wherefore  now  do  ye  transgress  the  commandment  of 
Yahweh,  seeing  it  shall  not  prosper  ?     Go  not  up,    for  Yah-  42 
weh  is  not  among  you  ;  that  ye  be  not  smitten  down  before 
your  enemies.     For  there  the  **Amalekite  and  the  Canaanite  43 
are  before  you,  and  ''^ye  shall  fall  by  the  sword  :  because  ye 
are  turned  back  from  following  Yahweh,  therefore  Yahweh 
will  not  be  with  you.     But  they  presumed   to  go   up  to  the  44 
(Rd)  top  of  the  mountain  :  nevertheless  the  ark  of  the  cove- 
(E)  nant  of  *  Yahweh,  and   Moses,  ■*'^departed  not  out  of  the 
camp.     Then  the  Amalekite  came  down,  and  the  Canaanite  45 
which   dwelt   in  that  mountain,  and  smote   them  and   beat 
them  down,  even  unto  '''Hormah. 


3«i8:i,  23.  3'Ex.  6:6-8.  '^jj.  3,,  3«Ct.  vs.  24.  Dt.  i  :  36.  "Ex.  33  : 4.  ■'iGen.  20  :  8; 
21  :  14  etc.  "i^Vs.  44  ;  13  :  17,  29.  •'^gx.  32  :  31  ;  ch.  12  :  n  :  21  :  7  ;  (22  :  34)  :  Jos.  7  :  20  etc. 
■'■'13  :  2Q  ;  vv.  25,  45.     ■'^Vs.  3.     ■'"(Ex.  13  :  22)  ;  33  :  n.     ^'Cf.  xxi.   1-3  :  Jud.  i  :  17. 

*  There  is  no  other  passage  in  JE  where  the  name  "  ark  of  the  covenant  of 
Yahweh  "  is  found  in  a  context  of  unquestionable  genuineness.  On  the  other 
hand  there  are  several  passages  where  an  original  "  ark  of  Yahweh  "  has  been 
altered  by  the  insertion  of  berith  ("  covenant  of  ").  The  probability  is  accord- 
ingly against  the  genuineness  of  the  word  here. — After  vs.  45  I>XX.  add,  "  So 
they  returned  to  the  camp." 


190  NUMBERS. 

3.  Chh.  XV. — XX.  13.     Israel  at  Kadesh. 
ANALYSIS. 

Ch.  XV.  is  a  section  of  various  fragments  of  priestly  law,  and,  having  no 
connection  whatever  with  the  story,  is  accordingly  omitted.  In  ch.  .\vi. 
the  mutiny  of  KorAh,  Dathan  and  Abiram  is  related.  Certain  promi- 
nent individuals  aspire  to  the  priesthood,  and  raise  a  rebellion  against 
Moses.  Moses  protests,  and  appeals  to  Yahweli  ;  vv.  1-19.  Yahweh 
jntervenes;  Korah  and  his  followers  are  swallowed  up  by  the  earth,  (con- 
sumed by  fire  from  the  sanctuary)  ;  vv.  20--35.  An  altar-covering  is 
made  from  the  censers  of  the  burnt ;  vv.  36-40.  The  people,  sympathiz- 
ing with  the  punished  rebels,  are  visited  by  a  plague ;  w.  41-50- 
Aaron's  rod  buds,  as  a  token  of  the  preeminence  of  Levi;  xvii.  i-ii. 
Israel's  complaint  of  the  danger  of  approaching  the  Tabernacle  is  met  by 
the  appointment  of  the  Levites  for  its  service  ;  xvii.  12— xviii.  7.  (Chh. 
xviii.  8-xix.  contain  only  Levitical  laws  unconnected  with  the  narrative, 
and  are  accordingly  omitted).  Arrived  at  Kadesh  in  the  wilderness  of 
Zin,  the  people  murmur  for  water,  and  are  supplied  by  Moses'  smiting 
the  rock  with  the  rod  :  xx.  1-13. 

It  is  difficult  even  to  frame  a  synopsis  of  these  chapters  without  exhib- 
iting the  patent  self-contradictions  which  they  embody.  In  the  story  of 
Korah's  mutiny,  for  example,  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  how  after  "  the 
earth  opened  her  mouth  and  swallow^ed  them  up  (the  mutineers),  and 
their  households,  and  all  the  men  that  appertained  unto  Korah,  and  all 
their  goods,"  so  that  "  they,  and  all  that  appertained  to  them,  went  down 
alive  into  the  pit,  and  the  earth  closed  upon  them  "  (xvi.  32f.),  it  could 
still  be  possible  not  only  for  "  fire  to  come  forth  from  Yahweh  and  devour 
the  250  men  that  offered  the  incense,"  but  for  Eleazar  to  take  up  the 
censers  out  of  the  burning  and  scatter  the  fire  (vv.  35ff.).  But  after  we 
have  adjusted  our  minds  by  some  harmonistic  process  to  a  double 
destruction  of  Korah  and  his  followers,  and  all  that  appertained  to  them, 
and  their  households;  one  is  really  staggered  to  read  in  Num.  xxvi.  11., 
"Notwithstanding  the  sons  of  Korah  died  not."*  Moreover  in  xvi.  3 
the  complaint  of  the  mutineers  is  that  Moses  am!  Aaron  have  arrogated 
to  themselves  as  Lroites  a  special  priestly  right  which  properly  belongs 
to  "  all  the  assembly."  In  accordance  with  this  both  Reubenites  and  250 
princes  of  the  congregation,  presumably  from  all  the  tribes,  are  men- 
tioned as  of   the  company   of  Korah.      In   xxvii.  3   it  is  unequivocally 

*  An  interpolation  intended  to  account  for  the  Levitical  guild  of  temple- 
singers  "  tlie  sons  of  Korah  :  "  see  titles  of  Fss.  and  cf.  Num.  x.wi.  58. 


ISRAEL  AT  KADESH.  191 

implied  that  tliis  company  was  not  exclusively  of  Levites.  Yet  the  rep- 
resentation of  vv.  8-1 1  is  positive  that  the  mutiny  was  a  revolt  of  Levites 
against  the  exclusive  privileges  of  the  Aaronic  priesthood.  It  would 
appear,  however,  from  xxvii.  3  that  this  representation  comes  from  a  later 
hand  than  P"^,  and  this  conclusion  is  established  with  certainty  by  the 
story  of  xvii.  and  xviii.  1-7,  according  to  which  Aaron's  rod  which  buds 
is  "the  rod  of  Levi"  as  against  the  other  eleven  tribes,  xvii.  1-3,  and  the 
Levites  are  first  endowed  with  their  peculiar  ofifice  in  consequence  of  the 
event  of  ch.  xvi.  and  xvii.  12 — xviii.  7.  The  story  of  the  revolt  of  Korah 
and  others  of  the  laity  (P-)  is  therefore  to  be  distinguished  from  a  later 
element  (P^)  observable  in  vv.  8ff.  where  the  mutineers  are  Leintes. 

But  a  much  more  remarkable  phenomenon  appears  when  we  look  at 
the  references  of  Deuteronomy,  supposed  by  the  Grafian  critics  to 
depend  on  JE,  but  regarded  as  older  than  P'-.  Deuteronomy  not  only 
ignores  any  distinction  between  priests  and  Levites,  treating  the  words 
as  synonyms,  but  in  xi.  6  makes  explicit  reference  to  this  story  as  the 
story  of  what  Yahweh  "  did  unto  Dathan  and  Abiram  the  sons  of  Eliab 
the  son  of  Reuben,  how  the  earth  opened  her  mouth  and  swallowed 
them  up,  and  their  households  and  their  tents  and  every  living  thing  that 
followed  them,  in  the  midst  of  all  Lsrael."  Either  the  Deuteronomist 
practised  "  higher  criticism,"  or  else  the  story  of  Num.  xvi.  to  him  was 
not  a  mutiny  of  Korah  at  all  ;  but  of  "  Dathan  and  Abiram  the  sons  of 
Eliab,  the  son  of  Reuben."  Curiously  enough  there  are  portions  of  Nu, 
xvi.  also,  where  Dathan  and  Abiram  appear  alone,  as  sole  leaders  of  the 
mutiny ;  and  others  where  Korah  appears  alone  in  a  like  capacity  (cf. 
vv.  12,  25,  27b. ;  with  5,  8,  16,  19,  32,  40,  49).  The  latter  appears  as  the 
representation  of  P-  in  subsequent  passages  (Vs.  49;  xxvii.  3).  It  is  also 
remarkable  that  according  to  Dt.  xi.  6  the  fate  of  the  mutineers  was  to 
be  swallowed  up  alive  by  the  earth,  and  this  again  in  Nu.  xvi.  27b— 32a  is 
certainly  the  fate  of  Dathan  and  Abiram,  and  apparently  of  Korah's 
companions  (32b),  though  "  the  250  men  who  offered  the  incense  "  met  a 
very  different  fate,  and  what  became  of  Korah  can  only  be  inferred. 
Again  it  is  to  be  observed  that  where  Moses  is  speaking  with  Dathan 
and  Abiram  (vv.  12-15,  -5-  27b-32)  the  subject  of  priestly  or  Levitical 
rights  does  not  enter  into  the  controversy  at  all.  Dathan  and  Abiram 
accuse  Moses  of  wanting  to  make  himself  2i  prince  over  them,  of  having 
been  untrue  to  his  promise  to  lead  them  to  "  a  land  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey,"  of  wishing  to  "  bore  out  the  eyes  of  these  (?)  men."  Moses 
on  his  part  prays  that  their  offering  (?)  may  not  be  respected  (cf.  Gen.  iv. 
4f.),  and  denies  having  injured  a  single  individual.  But  nothing  what- 
ever  is  said  of    priestly  rights.     It   is    needless  to  refer   in  addition  to 


192  NUMBERS. 

minor  difficulties,  such  as  vs.  i.  where  the  verb  "  took  "  has  no  object  ; 
vs.  24,  27a.  where  Korah,  Dathan  and  Abiram  appear  to  have  one  tent  in 
common,  and  that  not  a  tent  at  all,  but  a  sacred  "  tabernacle  "  {//iis/ikan) 
for  mishkan  is  never  used  in  prose  of  anything  but  the  sanctuarv  of 
Yahweh ;  and  vs.  7b,  which  so  singularly  and  inappropriately  repeats 
a  part  of  3a.  From  what  has  already  been  said  minds  in  any  detjree 
susceptible  to  critical  evidence  cannot  fail  to  recognize  the  probably  com- 
posite character  of  ch.  xvi.  and  that  the  story  told  in  Dt.  xi.  6  represents 
at  least  one  element  of  JE,  while  even  P  is  here  composite  also. 

The  priestly  element  as  a  whole  is  easily  separated.  The  two  charac- 
teristic features,  that  Korah  alone  is  leader  of  the  revolt,  and  that  the 
subject  of  controversy  is  the  priestly  prerogative,  are  amply  sufficient  for 
the  extrication  of  vv.  i-ii  (exc.  traces  in  vv.  1-3),  16-243,  26,  27a,  32b. 
and  from  vs.  35  to  xviii.  7  as  the  element  of  P'^  and  P^.  The  phraseol- 
ogy and  point  of  view  are  alike  unmistakable.  Only  in  the  porticm 
where  a  close  combination  of  JE  and  P  has  been  attempted,  viz.  vv.  24- 
32,  is  there  any  difficulty  in  the  separation  ;  and  here  the  linguistic  cri- 
teria are  decisive.  The  association  of  the  words  "  tabernacle  {mishkan) 
of  Korah,  Dathan  and  Abiram  "  in  vv.  24  and  27a  has  been  already 
spoken  of  as  an  impossible  one.  To  make  assurance  doubly  sure  it  is 
only  necessary  to  observe  that  "all  the  congregation,"  according  to  vs. 
19,  have  already  been  assembfed  by  Korah  "  at  the  door  of  the  Tent  of 
Meeting,"  and  hence  cannot  possibly  be  in  the  vicinity  of  "  the  taberna- 
cle of  Korah,  Dathan  and  Abiram,"  supposing  such  a  place  to  be  con- 
ceivable. There  is  only  one  Mishkan  ;  hence  we  have  no  trouble  in 
replacing  the  impossible  "  Korah,  Dathan  and  Abiram  "  of  Rp  bv  tlie 
original  "  Yahweh."  The  harmonistic  purpose  of  Rp  in  making  the 
change  is  very  obvious,  as  he  is  intent  upon  weaving  together  the  story 
of  Korah  (P)  and  that  of  Dathan  and  Abiram  (JE).  It  should  be  obvi- 
ous, although  apparently  overlooked  by  critics,  that  vs.  26,  built  upon  the 
model  of  vs.  23f.,  and  priestly  in  tone  and  language,  is  purely  the  work 
of  Rp,  a  kind  of  solder  whose  material  is  derived  from  the  verses  23-27 
which  it  is  intended  to  unite,  but  which  melts  and  separates  without  the 
application  of  a  great  amount  of  analytical  heat.  The  same  is  true  of 
vs.  32b,  where  Rp  betrays  himself  further  by  the  use  of  the  late  priestly 
word  rekush,  "goods"  (Gen.  xiv.  1  if.  ;  xv.  14;  xvi.  21)  ;  it  may  be  true 
also  of  the  last  clause  of  vs.  ''^-i)- 

Nor  is  the  separation  of  the  element  F^  from  P-  a  difficult  matter.  Vv. 
36-40  are  shown  in  vs.  4c  to  take  the  view  of  P*,  that  the  controversy 
c<mcerns  the  prerogative  of  Aaron  and  his  sons  over  the  other  Levites, 
asinvv.  8-ri.     Vv.  i6f.  simply  illustrate  the  usual   practise  of    Rp  and 


ISRAEL  A  T  KADESH.  193 

the  late  priestly  interpolators,  of  leading  back  to  the  point  of  interruption 
by  repeating  the  preceding  context  (cf.  vv.  i6f.  with  5-7;  and  both 
with  Ex.  vi.  10-12  and  28-30).  The  result  of  this  awkwardness  is  that 
Moses  makes  three  consecutive  addresses  to  Korah  of  nearly  the  same 
import,  viz.,  vv.  4-7  :  8-1 1  ;    i6ff. 

A  far  more  difficult  matter  is  the  separation  of  JE  into  its  elements  ; 
for  we  must  agree  with  critics  generally,  in  view  of  the  patent  duplica- 
tions of  vv.  28-34  (see  text  below),  and  the  incongruities  of  vv.  12-15, 
that  the  JE  strand  is  also  duplicate.  To  begin  with,  it  is  a  very  singular 
thing  that  Rp  should  have  attempted  a  combination  of  two  such  widely 
different  narratives  as  (a)  a  story  of  the  mutiny  of  Dathan  and  Abiram, 
(JE),  and  (b)  the  aspiration  of  Korah  and  others  to  the  priesthood  (P),  if 
in  JE  there  was  no  allusion  at  all  to  the  priestly  prerogative,  and  no 
resemblance  in  the  names  (in  a  and  b).  What  then  of  the  names  in  vs. 
I,  and  the  minchah,  ("  sacrificial  offering  "  ;  impossible  to  identify  with 
incen.-e-burning)  which  the  leaders  of  the  revolt  ("  their  offering  ")  are 
preparing  to  make  in  vs.  1 5  ? 

Vs.  I  is  in  fact  an  extraordinary  complex.  We  may  take  as  the  most 
reliable  portion  the  words  "  Dathan  and  Abiram  the  sons  of  Eliab,  the 
son  [so  LXX.  and  Dt.  xi.  6]  of  Reuben."  In  all  subsequent  JE  refer- 
ences these,  and  these  alone,  appear  as  the  leaders  of  the  revolt.  We 
may  safely  say  that  this  was  the  representation  of  E  ;  for  in  vs.  27b,  where 
they  thus  appear,  the  language  is  E's  (see  refs.),  and  the  reference  in 
Deuteronomy  is  also  an  indication.  Whence  then  is  "  On  the  son  of 
Peleth,"  who  is  just  as  unknown  to  P  as  to  E  ?  And  whence  has  P, 
who  nowhere  gives  the  slightest  indication  of  independent  sources,  the 
name  "  Korah,"  which  he  certainly  did  not  get  from  E  ?  There  is  none 
but  J  to  whom  they  can  be  attributed.  But  the  argument  is  not  merely 
negative,  for  there  is  one  more  item  in  the  dramatis  persotiae  of  vv.  if. 
reappearing  neither  in  P  nor  E,  viz.  the  "  men  of  renown,"  vs.  2.  The 
only  other  instance  of  this  phrase  in  the  Old  Testament  is  Gen.' vi.  4  (J). 
The  remaining  portion  of  vs.  i  gives  the  pedigree  of  Korah  ;  but  this 
pedigree  agrees  neither  with  P-',  according  to  whom  "  Korah  and  his 
company/'  are  not  Levites  (ch.  xvii.  ;  xx.  3 ;  xxvii.  3)  ;  nor  could  it  with 
J,  if,  as  there  seems  reason  to  suppose,  the  subject  of  controversy  here 
also  was  the  priestly  prerogative  (Ex.  xxxii.  25-29).  It  comes  then  from 
P^,  and  P-  agreed  with  J  in  making  Korah  a  non-Levite.  On  indepen- 
dent grounds  Wellhausen  has  conjectured  that  the  Korah  of  the  original 
narrative  was  of  the  tribe  of  Judah  {Coinp.  p.  108).  Strictly  the  pedigree 
of  I  Chron.  ii.  43  makes  him  a  descendant  of  Caleb,  /.  e.  a  Kcnizzite,  and 
not  an  Israelite  at  all.     As  to  the   other  individual  who  we  have  reason 


194  XiWinERS. 

to  suppose,  figured  in  J,  but  whom  P"^  does  not  take  over,  we  need  only 
point  out  for  the  present  that  Peleth  is  a  name  significant  of  nothing  else 
than  the  royal  bodyguard  established  by  David,  whose  popular  designa- 
tion (•'  Pelethites  ")  seems  to  have  been  formed  by  paronomasia  with  the 
"  Cherethites,"  or  Cretans,  always  named  with  them,  from  the  regular 
word  for  "  Philistine,"  and  with  reference  to  their  alien  origin.  If,  then, 
by  process  of  exclusion  from  all  the  other  sources  we  may  take  as  J's  the 
objectless  verb  "took"  of  vs.  i,  we  may  conjecture  for  the  original  J 
element  of  this  verse,  "  Now  Korah  the  son  of  Kenaz,  and  On  the  son  of 
Peleth,  men  of  renown,  took  "... 

We  have  next  to  enquire  whence  P^  derived  the  idea  of  an  assault  by 
Korah  and  others  upon  the  priestly  prerogative  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  vv. 
2f.,  and  how  Rp  came  to  combine  his  narrative  with  that  of  JE.  If  we 
look  first  at  Moses'  petition  in  vs.  1 5a  we  see  at  once  that  it  has  no  con- 
nection with  the  story  of  Dathan  and  Abiram's  revolt  in  the  midst  of 
which  it  stands.  Dathan  and  Abiram  have  no  apparent  notion  of  offer- 
ing sacrifice,  and  if  they  had,  E's  legislation  offers  no  objection,  but 
rather  commends  the  idea  (Ex.  xx.  24 ;  xxiv.  5).  In  vs.  15  on  the 
other  hand,  the  complaint  of  the  mutineers  is  at  least  accompanied  by 
a  proposal  to  sacrifice,  if  this  be  not  indeed  the  principal  casus  belli. 
Moreover  Moses'  intercourse  v^'ith  Yahweh  in  vs.  1 5  is  much  freer  than 
in  E,  and  the  two  verses  preceding  are  full  of  characteristic  J  phrases 
(see  refs.  ;  "  fields  and  vineyards  "  with  which  Dillmann  would  compare 
XX.  17  ;  xxi.  22  is  no  exception,  cf.  I  Sam.  xxii.  7,  J),  vs.  14a  refers  verbally 
to  Moses'  promise  Ex.  iii.  17.  Vv.  13-15  accordingly  are  J's  fuller 
companion  piece  to  12b  (E).  Here  the  offering  (^ininchah)  of  certain 
men  opposed  to  Moses  is  the  subject  of  dispute.  Looking  back  now  to 
the  fragments  of  J  in  vs.  i  it  would  not  be  unnatural  to  supply  as  the 
missing  object  of  "took  "  "  an  offering  {minchah)  for  Yahweh,"  and  if 
Dillm.  is  right  in  claiming  for  J  the  clause  "  and  Yahweh  is  among 
them,"  in  vs.  3  (cf.  Ex.  xvii.  7  ;  xxxiii.  16  ;  Num.  xi.  20)  his  story  may 
well  have  contained  also  the  equivalent  of  vs.  3,  together  with  the  stray 
clause  7b,  which  must  belong  after  this  verse.  Vv.  12,  25,  27b  (Dathan 
and  Abiramj  must  of  course  be  attributed  to  E.  Ikit  in  E  Moses  is  no 
talker.  Preliminary  announcements  of  the  miracle  Yahweh  is  going  to 
perform,  as  we  saw  in  the  plague  stories,  belong  to  J.  Vv.  28-30  should 
therefore  be  J's,  and  this  judgment  is  confirmed  by  the  language  (see 
refs).  One  of  the  most  striking  instances  to  be  found  anywhere  is  in 
fact  the  persistent  contrast  between  J's  habitual  use  of  "  ground  "  {ada- 
ma/i)  and  E's  "  earth  "  {ere/z),  which  is  finely  exemplified  here  in  the 
palpable   duplicates.  31,    33a  (cf.    30a).  J  =  32a,    33b,    34,    E.     Here  the 


ISRAEL  A  T  KADESH.  195 

interweaving,  is  as  close  as  in  the  plague  narratives,  and  in  particular  the 
verbal  correspondence  of  fulfilment  with  prediction  in  J  repeats  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  of  the  phenomena  there. 

We  are  able  thus  to  extricate  the  strands  of  J  and  E  and  to  adduce 
some  evidence  that  J's  story,  combined  by  Rje  with  E's  narrative  of  the 
revolt  of  Dathan  and  Abiram  perhaps  because  of  their  similar  conclusion, 
related  how  Korah.a  Kenizzite,  and  On,  a  Pelethite  (Philistine),  presump- 
tuously brought  an  offering  to  Yahweh,  claiming  the  right  of  sacrifice  for 
all  the  people  (3a  b^  7b  ?),  and  accusing  Moses  of  arbitrarily  assuming  the 
prerogative  (vs.  13).  We  have  already  found  J  vindicating  the  preemin- 
ent right  of  the  Levites  to  the  priesthood  of  the  ark  (Ex.  xxxii.  25-29), 
and  recognizing  an  even  prior  right  in  the  family  of  Aaron  (Ex.  iv.  14; 
xix.  22  ;  xxiv.  if.  9-1 1).  We  shall  find  him  subsequently  emphasizing  the 
prerogative  of  the  Jerusalem  priesthood  (Dt.  .xx.xiii.  8-10)  and  providing 
finally  a  third  grade  of  temple  functionaries  in  the  nethinim,  or  hierodou- 
loi,  whom  Joshua  institutes  from  the  Gibeonites  (Jos.  ix.  22-27 — J)-  All 
these  distinctions  of  priestly  rank  are  pre-Deuteronomic  ;  for  the  pre- 
exilic  "  (:///^-priest  "  is  a  very  different  personage  from  the  exclusively 
post-exilic  "  high-^nz'sX  ;  "  and,  although  they  carry  back  \ht  germs  of  P's 
hierarchical  system  to  a  period  by  several  centuries  earlier,  they  are  by 
no  means  improbable  representations  to  be  made  by  a  priest  of  the 
Solomonic  temple,  circ.  800  B.  C,  such  as  we  suppose  J  to  have  been. 
Nor  do  they  conflict  with  J's  representations  of  the  priestly  functions  of 
the  Ephraimite  Samuel  at  the  high  place  of  Zuph,  I  Sam.  ix.,  which  is  a 
different  matter  from  the  priesthood  before  the  ark  of  I  Sam.  xxii.  (J). 
But  one  element  of  the  evidence  for  this  theory  of  J  in  Num.  xvi.  is  still 
to  be  mentioned.  We  know  from  Zeph.  i.  9  and  Ez.  xliv.  6ff.  that  the 
presence  of  certain  "  foreigners  "  as  functionaries  in  the  Jerusalem  temple 
was  extremely  obnoxious  to  the  stricter  Mosaists  of  the  Deuteronomic 
period.  One  class  of  these  are  known  to  have  occupied  this  position 
since  the  time  of  David.  (W.  Robertson  Smith,  O.  T.  in  Jew.  Ch.  first 
ed.  pp.  249ff,  359).  They  were  the  Pelethites,  or  Philistines  of  the  royal 
body-guard.  Whether  this  fact  may  have  any  connection  with  the  story 
of  "  On  the  son  of  Peleth  "  is  for  critics  to  decide.  As  to  the  original 
position  of  the  JE  portion  of  Num.  xvi.  it  can  only  be  said  that  it  prob- 
ably preceded  the  reference  in  xiv.  22.     No    location   whatever  is    given. 

The  story  of  Kadesh-Meribah,  xx.  1-13  must  also  of  course  precede 
that  of  the  spies,  chh.  xvi  f.  since  the  lack  of  water  would  be  felt  immedi- 
ately, if  at  all ;  moreover  vs.  i  indicates  a  first  arrival.  P's  location  of 
the  story  of  the  spies  in  "  the  wilderness  of  Paran  "  necessitated  the 
transfer.     But  the  story  of   Meribah,  the  strife    of  the  people  with  Moses 


196  NUMBERS. 

and  the  smitten  rock,  has  already  been  related  in  Ex.  xvii.  1-7.  Accord- 
ing to  the  results  there  obtained  we  need  expect  in  the  Meribah  story  of 
Num.xx.no  trace  of  E;  but  vs.  3a  which  is  incongruous  with  vs.  13 
(the  people  strive  with  Yahweh),  and  is  identical  with  Ex.  xvii.  2,  is 
almost  certainly  from  J ;  as  well  as  vs.  5,  which  duplicates  vs.  4,  and  is 
throughout  characteristic  of  J  in  style  and  language  (cf.  Ex.  xiv.  1 1  f ; 
xvii.  3;  Nu.  xi.  5,  20;  xvi.  13).  We  also  know  from  Dt.  xxxiii.  2 
(emended  reading)  that  J  connected  Meribath-Kadesh  as  in  the  etymol- 
ogy of  vs.  13  (P'^).  Besides  3a,  5,  13  (.'^j  there  is  nothing  in  xx.  1-13 
x.X2L(ita!o\&  prima  facie  \.o  J  or  E,  save  vs.  ibc,  which  should  probably  be 
assigned  to  E  (cf.  Ex.  xv.  2of ;  ii.  4ff ;  Num.  xii.  and  Dt.  x.  6).  The  da- 
tum is  referred  to  by  Dt.  i.  46  and  quoted  verbally  by  Jud.  xi.  17.  These 
references  also  point  to  an  E  origin.  The  clause  cannot  be  from  P, 
whose  elaborate  date  it  interrupts  (see  note  in  loc). 

No  evidence  is  required  to  demonstrate  that  the  principal  narrative  in 
Num.  XX.  1-13  is  from  P.  The  date,  vs.  la  ;  the  reference  to  xvi.  35  in 
3b  ;  the  subsequent  allusions  in  xxvii.  14 ;  Dt.  xxxii.  15  to  "  the  strife  of 
the  congregation  at  the  waters  of  Meribah  of  Kadesh  in  the  wilderness 
of  Zin  ;  "  the  characteristic  phraseology  and  style  (cf.  vs.  6  with  xvi.  18- 
22,  42-45  and  see  refs.)  leave  no  possibility  of  doubt,  A  moment's 
attention  however  to  the  subsequent  references  to  the  "  rebellion  '  of 
Moses  and  Aaron  will  show  that  the  hand  of  Rp  or  P^,  has  been  here  at 
work,  completely  obliterating  all  trace  of  the  real  sin  of  Moses  and 
Aaron.  For  the  treatment  of  this  phenomenon  in  detail  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  notes  in  loc.  and  to  the  careful  discussion  of  Cornill.  Z. 
A.  IV.  xi.  I.  The  question  must  arise,  however,  whether  in  this  working 
over  of  P's  story  of  the  rebellion  of  Moses  and  Aaron  Rp  has  not  been 
to  some  extent  influenced  by  the  story  of  J.  Now  in  vs.  8a  /?  there  is  an 
element  quite  incongruous  with  the  story  of  P^,  as  appears  both  from  the 
direction  as  given  in  8a,  and  as  carried  out  in  vs.  11.  If  Moses  is  bidden 
to  "  take  the  rod  "  in  vs.  8  it  is  because  Yahweh  means  him  to  use  it,  as 
he  actually  does  in  vs.  11.  But  the  directions  proceed  in  vs.  8,  "  And 
spca^  ye  unto  the  rock  before  their  eyes  that  it  give  forth  its  water,  and 
thou  shalt  bring  forth  to  them  water  out  of  the  rock."  Thus,  in  the 
present  form  of  the  command  the  use  of  the  rod  is  entirely  ignored  ; 
moreover  8c  is  superfluous  after  8b.  The  substitution  of  a  blow  of  the 
rod,  or  of  two  blows  (vs.  1 1)  for  a  verbal  appeal,  is  certainly  not  the  sin 
of  "  rebellion  "  of  which  Moses  and  Aaron  were  guilty.  At  most  they 
could  be  blamed  for  presumptuous  over-confidence,  but  certainly  it  could 
not  be  said  that  they  "  believed  not  in  Yahweh  to  sanctify  him  "  (vs.  12). 
And  if  tliev  were    not    to   smite  with    the  rod  why  were    they  bidden    to 


X\I.  5-  ISRAEL  AT  KADESH.  197 

take  it  ?  Why  at  least  are  they  not  blamed  for  the  fault  of  smiting  in 
place  of  speaking,  instead  of  for  a  different  fault  ?  In  8a<5  we  have 
clearly  an  independent  representation,  differing  from  both  E  and  P  in 
that  no  wonder-working  rod  appears.  As  there  is  nothing  in  the  clause 
incompatible  with  J  authorship,  it  seems  at  least  probable  that  this  differ- 
ent representation  is  J's  and  not  a  mere  modification  of  P',  by  Rp.  That 
in  J's  story  of  "  Meribath-Kadesh  "  the  rod-feature  should  be  absent  is 
not  at  all  surprising,  in  view  of  the  fact  above  referred  to,  that  this  author 
had  a  totally  different  conception  of  the  story  how  '•  Yahweh  said  unto 
Moses,  Gather  the  people  together  and  I  will  give  them  water  "  and  of 
the  "  Well  "  "  digged  by  the  rod  of  the  law-giver,  and  the  princes'  staves  " 
(xxi.  16-20  f.) 


(P)    (Rp)  Nfl7V  1  KoraJl  the  son    of    Izhar,  the  son  of  Kohath,  the  1(> 
(E)   sou  of  Levi.     [  -   •   .  ]   with  ^Dathan  and  Abiram,  the  sons 

(J)  (E)  of  Eliab,  [ .  .  .  ]  and  Oil,  the  son  of  Peletli,  sons 
(J)   (E)     of     Reuben,   took  [men]  *     and    they    rose    tip    2 
(P)    before    Moses,  with   certain  of    the  children  of   Israel 
[  .   .   .  ]    hc'o   Juiiidrcd  and  fifty    ^princes  of    the    congregation, 

(J)    (P)   ^^^^'-^^^  ^"   ^^^^  ussemfi/r,  *  men  of  renown  :    '^nd  3 

^  t/iev  asseinldcd  t/te/nselTcs  tooct/icr  against  Moses  and 
against  Aaron,  and  said  unto  them,  '^'Ye  take  too  nitich  upon  you, 
(J)  seeing  'all  the  congregation  are  holy,  every    one  of  them,  and 

(P)  ^Yahweh  is  among  them :    [ .  ;  .  ]    wherefore   then 

lift  ye  lip  yourselves  above  the  assembly  of    Yahweh  ?     And  whe7i    4 
Moses  heard  it,  he  "^fell  upon  his  face  :  and  he  spake  unto  Korah    5 
and  unto   all  his  company,  saying,   In    the  morning    Yahweh   icill 
she-w  7cho  are   his,  and  who  is  holy,  and  '^''^will  cause  him  to  come 
near  unto   hint :  even  him  whom  he  shall  choose  icill  he  cause  to 

"i  Chron.  2  :  43.     "^Hl.  ii  :  6  ;    ct.  26  :  Sff.     3Ch.  7.      «Gen.  6  :  4.     'Vs.  42:    20:2;    27:3. 
''7b.     "17:  iff.     i^Ex.  33  :  16  ;  Num.  II  :  20.     "Vv.  22,  45,  etc.      -^ly  :  s-    13;  18:2. 


*In  vs.  I  the  text  is  corrupt.  Dillmann  conjectures  in  place  of  "took"  (no 
oliject)  a  dittograph  of  the  following  "  rose  up."  The  emendation  of  Kohler, 
endorsed  by  Graf,  Nold.,  Col.,  Kuen.,  and  Dillm.,  to  make  ib  agree  with  the 
genealogies  (xxvi.  Sff)  by  reading  "  Eliab,  the  son  of  Pallu,  the  son  of  Reuben," 
is  too  easy,  not  explaining  the  corruption,  and  rgakes  shipwreck  on  Dt.  xi.  6. 


198  Xl'MHERS.  XVI.  6. 

6  come  near  unto  him.      JViis  do  ;  '^  /a/v    iw/  censers,    Kora/i,  and 

7  all  his  company  ;  and  put  fire  therein,  and  put  incense  upon  them 
before  Yahweh  to-inorroav  :  and  it  shall  be  that  the  man  uduvn 
Yahiveh  doth  choose,  he  [shall  be]  holy: — ye  take  too  much  upon  you, 

8  (Rp)  1'^'  sons  of  Levi. — \ And  Moses  said  unto  Korali,  Hiar  ncnv,  ^'^ye  so//s 

9  of  L,z'/ :  [stcmct/i  it  t>itt\  "*  </  sviall  tliiiii;  nnlo  you,  tliat  titc  God  of  Isiii,-t 
^^Aat/i  separated  you  from  tJie  congregation  of  Israel,  to  bring  yon  near  to  liitn- 
self ;  to  do  the  service  of  the  tabernacle  of   Yahweh,  and  to  stand  before  the 

10  congregation  to  minister  unto  them  ;  and  that  he  hath  brought  thee  near,  iiiid 
all  thy  brethren  the  sons  of  Levi  with  thee  ?     and  see Ic  ye  the  priesthood  also  ? 

1 1  There/ore  '^  thon  and  all  thy  company  are  gathered  together  against    Yahi^uh  : 

12  (E)    ^^'and  Aaron,  what  is  he  that  ye  niunnnr  against  hiiii  ?      And  Moses 

^'sent  to  call  Dathan  and  Abiram,  the  sons  of  Kliab:  and  they 

13  (J)  said,  We  will  not  come  up  [  .  .  .  ]  is  it  a  small  tiling 
that  thou  hast  brought  us  up  out  of  a  ^*  laud  flowiug 
with  milk  aud  houey,  ''to  kill  us  iu  the  wilderness, 
but  thou  must  ueeds  make  thyself  also  a  priuce  over 

14  us  ?  Moreover  thou  hast  uot  brought  us  iuto  a  laud 
flowiug  with  milk  aud  houey,  uor  -"giveu  us  iuherit- 
ance  of  fields  aud  viueyards:  wilt  thou ''put  out  the 

15  eyes  of  these  meu  ?  we  will  uot  come  up.  Aud  Moses 
was  very  wroth,  aud  said  uuto  Yahweh,  -Resi^ect 
uot  thou  their  offeriug :  1  have  uot  takeu  oue  ass 
from    them,    ueither    have    I    hurt    oue  of    them. 

16  (Rp)   -^And  Moses  said  unto  Korah,  Be  thou  and  all  thy  congregation  before 
1 1    Yahweh,  than,  and  they,  and  Aaion,  to-morrow  :  and  take  ye   every  man    his 

censer,  and/nt  incense  npon  them,  and  bring  ye  before  Yah^veh  every  man  his 
censer,  two  hundred  and  fifty  censers  ;  thou  also,  and  Aaron,  each  his  censer. 

18  (P)  And  they  took  eirry  man  his  censer,  and  put  fire  in  them,  aud 
laid  incense  thereon,  antl  stood  at  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting; 

19  ivith  Moses  and  Aaron.     And  Korah  assembled  all  the  congrega- 


"Vs.   18.     '=Vv.  3,  7  :  ct.   vs.   I.     '3Vs.  13.     "■•Ci.  18 

:  iff. 

■^27:3. 

""■Ex.  16  :  7f. 

1' 

5.  20.     '"Ex.  3  :  8  and  refs.      '"Ex.  14  :  u  ;  17  :  3  ;  Ch. 

14  :  32 

f;  ch.  20: 

5.     2»i  .Sam. 

2. 

'^'Jud.   16:21.     '■''■'(ien.  4  :  4,  5.     '■'^Vv.  5-7. 

t  It  is  scarcely  needful  to  \w\nt  out  that  the  proper  place  for  vs.  7c  is  after  vs. 
3.  "  Korah  and  his  company,"  vs.  5,  are  not  "  sons  of  Levi."  At  most  Kurah 
himself  is  one;  but  according  to  vs.  2,  his  followers  are  simjily  "of  the  child- 
re))  of  Israel."  i)rinces  of  the  congregation.  The  clause  is  (.ither  displaced,  ur, 
possibly,  a  fragment  of  J. 


XVI.  30-  ISRAEL  AT  K AD ESH.  199 

tion  ai^ainst  them  unto  t/w  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting  :    -^and  the 
gtorv  of  Yahweh  appeared  unto  all  the  congregation. 

■'"  And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron,  saying,  20 
Separate  yourselves  from  among  this  congregation,  that  I  may  con-  21 
sunte  them  in  a  /uou/e/it.  And  they  fell  upon  their  faces,  and  said,  22 
O  God,  '^the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,  shall  one  man  sin,  and 
7vilt  thou  be  wroth  with  all  the  congregation  t  And  Yahweh  23 
spake  unto  Moses,  saving,  Speak  unto  the  congregation,  saying,  '-"Get  24 
(Rp)  you  up  from  about  the  tabernacle  of  Korah,  Datlian,  and  Abiram. 
(R)  And  Moses  rose  up  and  went  unto  Dathan  and  Abiram;  25 
(Rp)  '^^and    the  elders  of  Israel  followed  him.     '-'And  he  spai;f  26 

unto  the   congregation,  saying.  Depart,  T  pray  yon,  from  the  tents  of  these 
-wicked  men,  and  touch  nothing  of  theirs,  test  ye  t'e  consumed  in  all  their  sins. 
(P)     (Rp)    So  they  gat   them  up  from  tlie    tabernacle  of  Korah,    27 
(E)  Dathan,  and  A/>iram.*<'>/ ei'cry  side  :  and  Dathan  and  Abiram 
came   out,  and   stood    at    the  door  of  their  tents   [   .  .  .    ] 
(J)  and  their  wives,  aud  their  sons,  and  their  little 
ones.    And  Moses  said,  *^  Hereby  ye  shall  know  that  28 
Yahweh  hath  sent  me  to  do  all  these  works;  ^^for  [I 
have]  not  [done  them]  of  mine  own  mind.    If  these  29 
men  die  the  common  death  of  all  men,  or  if  they  he 
visited  after  the  visitation  of  all  men  ;  then  Yahweh 
hath  not  sent  me.     But  if  Yahweh  ^^  make  a  new  30 
thing,  and  the  ^^gronnd  ^*open  her  mouth,  and  swal- 
low them  up,  with  all  that  appertain   unto  them, 
and  they  ^^ go  down  alive  into  the  pit;  then  ye  shall 
understand  that  these  men  have  ^  despised  Yahweh. 

2*Ex.  16:  10;  ch.  14  :  5,  10  :  vs.  4-2.  '"Vv.  44f.  ^e,^  .  jg  "^t q  :  i-j ,  2ii  \  10:  11,  etc. 
28ii  :  30.  29Vs.  24.  3"Gen.  24  :  14  ;  (42  :  35)  ;  Ex.  7  :  16.  17.  312^  .  , ,,  3>iEx.  34  :  to; 
cf.   Gen.    I  :  i.      ^^Kx.  33  :  16  and  refs.      s^Gen.   4  :  n.      ^sQg^     37  :  35  ;  42  :  38   :  44  :  31. 


*  Harmonistic  redaction ;  see  Analysi.s.  Vs.  26  in  its  present  form,  is 
dependent  on  the  alteration  of  the  original  "Yahweh"  to  "  Korah,  Dathan 
and  Abiram  "  and  on  23f.  This  attempted  fusion  of  Korah  with  Dathan  and 
Abiram  is  certainly  very  late,  as  in  Ps.  cvi.  17  they  are  still  kept  apart,  and 
LXX.  have  a  different  text.— The  latter  part  of  the  verse  (Moses'  words)  mnv 
be  from  E. 


2W  NUMBERS.  X\'I.  31. 

31  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  he  made  an  end  of  speakini?  all 
these   words,   that   the  ground  clave  asunder  that 

32  (E)  was  under  them  :  and  the  -'"earth  opened  her  mouth, 
(Rp)  and  swallowed  them  up,  and  their  households,  and  ail  the 

33  (J)    i>i<-'>' that  appertixiiied  iiiito   Korah,  mid  all  their  goods*       SotlieV, 

and  all  that  appertained   to  them,  went  down  alive 
(E)  into  the  pit :  and  the  earth  closed  upon  them,  and  they 

34  perished  from  among  ^Hhe  assembly.  And  all  Israel  that 
were   round   about   them    fled   at  the  cry  of  them  :  for  they 

35  (P)  said,^^  Lest  the  earth  swallow  us  up.  ■"*  And  Jire  came 
forth  from  Yahwch,  and  devoured  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  men 
that  offered  the  incense. 

%!  (Rp)  ^^^"d  Yahivch  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Speak  unto  Eleazar  the 
sou   of  Aaron    the  priest,  that  he  take    up    the    eensers   out  of  the  burning, 

38  and  scatter  thon  the  fire  yonder  :  for  they  are  holy  :  even  the  eeiisers  of  these 
sinners  against  their  ozun  lives,  and  let  them  be  made  beaten  plates  for  a  eoz'er- 
ingofthe  altar :  for  they  offered  them  before  Yalnoeh,  therefore  they  are  holy: 

^g  and  they  shall  be  a  sign  unto  the  ehildreu  of  Israel.  And  Eleazar  the  priest 
took  the  brasen  eensers,  ivhieli  they  that  ivere  burnt  had  offered :  and  they  beat 

AQ  thevi  out  for  a  eovering  of  the  altar  :  to  be  a  memorial  unto  the  children  of 
Israel,  to  the  end  that  no  ^-stranger,  which  is  not  of  the  seed  of  Aaron,  eovie 
near  to  bur7t  incense  before  Yalnoeh  :  that  he  be  7iot  as  A'orah,  and  as  his 
company:  as  Yahweh  spake  nnto  him  ly  the  hand  of  Moses. 

41  (P)  But  on  the  tnorroiu  all  the  congregation  of  the  cJiildren  of 
Israel  mnrnmred  against  Moses  and  against  Aaron,  saying,  *^}> 

42  ha7'e  killed  the  people  of  Yahweh.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the 
'^'^congregation  7vas  assembled  against  Moses  a/id  against  Aaron, 
that   thev   ^^looked   toward   the  tent  of  meeting  :  and,  behold,  the 

43  cloud  coirred  it,  and  the  glory  of  Yahweh  appeared.     And  Moses 

44  and  Aaron  came  to  the  front  of  the  tent  of  meeting.     ^''And  J  'ah- 

45  ic>eh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying.  Get  you  up  from   amo/ig  this  con- 

3'Vs.  33f  ;  ct.  3of.  3H,_,2.  _j,  3;.Vs.  32.  '"'  17:  13  ;  zo  :  -  ■"Ct.  Ex.  27  :  2  ;  38  :  2  ;  cf.  Ex. 
38:  8b.     ■!2Vv.  8-11.     "Vs.  4.     •'n^•.  i.  iQ.     ■'^Ex.   if>  :   10  and  ref.     •'"Vv.  20-24. 

*  Harmonistic  redaction  ;  see  Analy.sis.  The  idea  of  R])  seems  to  be  that 
Korah  is  involved  in  the  fate  of  Datlian  and  Abirani  while  engaged  in  assem- 
bling the  congregation  to  the  door  of  tin-  Tent  of  Mccling  (vs.  19).  tlic  250  men 
remaining  there. 


XVII.  lo.  ISRAEL  AT  KADESH.  301 

gregation,  that  I  max  consume  them  in  a  moment.     And  they  fell 
upon  their  faces.     And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron.,  Take  thy  censer.,  46 
and  put  fire  therein  from  off  the  altar,  and  lay  incense  thereon,  and 
carry  it  quickly  unto  the  congregation,    and   make  atonemefit  for 
them :  for  there  is  wrath  gone  out  from    Yalnvch  ;  the  ^'plague  is 
begun.     And  Aaron  took  as  Moses  spake,  and  ran  into  the  midst  47 
of  the  assembly  ;  and,  behold,  the  plague  was  begun  among  the  peo- 
ple:  and  he  put  on  the  incense,  and  "^^made  atonevient  for  the  peo- 
ple.    And  he  stood  betiveen    the   dead  and  the  living ;  and  the  48 
plague  was  stayed.     Now  they  that  died  by  the  plague  were  four-  49 
teen  thousand  and  seven  hundred,  besides  them  that  died  about  the 
matter  of  Korah.     And  Aaron  returned  unto  Moses  unto  the  door  50 
of  the  tent  of  meeti?ig :  and  the  plague  ivas  stayed. 

A?id  Yahweh  spake  utito  Moses,  saying,  "^ Speak  unto  the  chil-  17 
dren  of  Israel,  and  take  of  them  rods,  one  for  each  father's  house,    2 
of  all  their  princes  according  to  their  fathers''  houses,  twelve  rods : 
write   thou    every  mans  name  upon    his   rod.     And  thou     shall    3 
write  Aaron's  name  upon  the  rod  of  Levi  :  for    there  shall  be  one 
rod  for  each  head  of  their  fathers^  houses.      And  thou  shall  lay    4 
them  up  in  the  tent  of  meeting  'before  the  testimony,  icdiere  I  meet 
with  you.     And  it  shall  cotne  to  pass,  that  the  man  ivhom  I  shall    5 
choose,  his  rod  shall  bud:  and  1  will  make  to   cease  from  me  the 
mi/rmurings  of  the  children  of  Israel,  which  they  murmur  against 
you.     And  Moses  spake  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  and  all  their   6 
prifices  gave   him    rods,  for   each  prince  one,  acco/uling  to  their 
fathers'    houses,  even    twelve  rods :  and  the   rod  of  Aaron  avas 
aitwfig  their  rods.     And  Moses  laid  up  the  rods  before  Yahweh  in    7 
the  tent  of  the  testimony.     .And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that    8 
Moses  7vefit  into  the  tent  of  the   testimony  ;  and,  behold,  the  rod  of 
Aaron  for  the  house  of  Levi  was  budded,  a7id  put  forth  buds,  and 
bloomed  blossoins,  and  bare  ripe  almonds.     And  Moses  brought    9 
out  all  the  rods  from   before    Yahweh    unto    all  the  children    of 
Israel:  and  they  looked,  and  took  every  man  his  rod.     And  Yah-  10 
7veh  said  unto  Moses,  ^Put  back  the  rod  of  Aaron  before  the  testi- 
mony, to  be  kept  for  a  toketi  against  the  children  of  rebellion  ;  that 
thou  mayest  make  an   end  of  their  murmur ings  against  me,  that 


2(12  A'UMBEKS.  XVIi.  ii. 

11  they  die  not.  Thus  did  Moses :  as  Yalm'ch  coinma)idcd  him,  so 
did  he. 

1 2  And  the   children  of  Israel  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Behold, 

1 3  we  perish,    we  are  undone,  we   are  all  undone.     Every  one  that 

Cometh    near,  that   cometh  ?iear  unto  the  tabernacle   of  )  'ahweh, 

dieth  :  shall  we  perish  all  of  us  ? 

18       And  Ya/nveh    said  unto  Aaron,    Ihou  and  thy  sons  and  thy 

father^ s  house  with  thee  shall  ^bear  the  iniquity  of  the  sanctuary  : 

and  thou  and  thy  sons  with  thee  shall  bear  the  iniquity  of  your 

2  priesthood.  '^And  thy  brethren  also,  the  tribe  of  Levi,  the  tribe  of 
thy  father,  bring  thou  near  with  thee,  that  they  may  be  joined 
unto  thee,  and  minister  unto  thee :  but  thou  and  thy  sons  with  thee 

3  shall  be  before  the  tent  of  the  testimony.  And  they  shall  keep  thy 
charge,  and  the  charge  of  all  the  Tent :  only  they  shall  not  come 
nigh  unto  the  vessels  of  the  sanctuary  and  unto  the  altar,  that  they 

4  die  not,  neither  they,  nor  ye.  And  they  shall  be  joined  ujito  thee, 
and  keep  the  charge  of  the  tent  of  meeting,  for  all  the  service  of  the 

5  Tent :  and  a  stranger  shall  not  come  nigh  unto  you.  And  iv 
shall  keep  the  charge  of  the  sanctuary,  and  the  charge  of  the  altar  : 

6  ■^that  there  be  wrath  no  more  upon  the  children  of  Israel.  And  J, 
behold,  I  have  taken  your  brethren  the  Levites  from  amon^  the 
children    of  Israel :    to  you  they  are  a  gift,  '""given  unto  >  'alnuch, 

"]  to  do  the  service  of  the  tent  of  meeting.  And  thou  and  thy  sons 
with  thee  shall  keep  your  priesthood  for  every  thing  of  the  altar, 
and  for  that  loifhi/i  the -t'eil :  and  ye  shall  serve :  I  give  you  the 
priesthood  as  a  service  of  gift  :  and  the  stranger  that  cometh  nigh 
shall  be  put  to  death. 

******** 

20  ^And  the  children  of  Israel,  even  the  ivhole  congregation,  ca?ne 
(E)  into  the  ".vildcrness  of '■Z  in  in  the  first  month:  \    ...    |  *  and 

'Cf.  Ez.  44  :  lo.     2(jf   j^.),]]    -ji      :K;cn.  29  :  j4.     ■'le  :  55.     '•Cf.  3.-4i.     'E.x.  16:    1  and  refs. 


*  The  year  is  omitted  for  harnionistic  reasons.  In  vv.  22ff.,  however,  com- 
pared with  xxxiii.  38f.,  it  is  apparent  that  this  was  the  Inst  year  of  tlie  desert 
wandering,  /.  e.  the  40th.  But  according  to  JE  (xiii.  26)  they  come  to  Kadesh 
Ih'fore  the  beginning  of  the  38  years'  wandering  (cf.  Dt.  if.)  ;  hence  the  omis- 
sion.    From  tlie  play  in  vs.  12  upon  the  name  Kadesh  ("  sanctified  ")  and  from 


XX.  lo.  ISRAEL  A  T  KADESH.  2U3 

the  people   abode   in   Kadesh  ;  ^and  Miriam  died  there,  and 
(P)  was  buried  there.     Afui  there  was  no  water  for  the  cotigrc-    2 
<ration:  *and  they  assembled  themselves  together  against  Moses  and 

(J)    agabist    Aaron.      ^Aiid   the  people    sti'ove    with    3 

(P)  Moses      [  •  •  •   J   and  spake,  saying,'^  Would  God  that  we 
had  died  'when    our   brethren  died  be/ore    Yahweh  !     And  why    4 
have  ye   brought  the   assembly  of  Yahweh  into  this  wilderness, 
(Rp)   (J)   that  tve   should  die   there,  we  ami  our  aittle^      'AlUl     5 

wherefore  have 7^  made  us  to  come  up  out  of  Egypt, 
to  bring  us  in  unto  this  evil  place  ?  it  is  no  place  of 
seed,  or  of  flgs,  or  of  vines,  or  of  pomegranates ; 
(P)  neither  is  there  any  water  to  drink.  [  .  .  .  \—'And  6 

Moses  and  Aaron  went  from  the  presence  of  the  assembly  unto  the 
door   of  the   tent  of  meeting,  and  fell  upon  their  faces  :  and  the 
glory  of  Yahiveh  appeared  unto  them.      And  Yahweh  spake  unto     7 
Moses,   saying,    Take  the  ^'Vya-/,  and  assemble  the    congregation,     8 
(J)  thou,  and  Aaron  thy    brother,    and    "speak   ye   UUtO    the 

rock  before  their  eyes,  that  it  give  forth  its  water  ; 
and  thou  shalt  bring  forth  to  tlieni  water  out  of  the 

(P)  rock:  so  thou  shall  give  the  congregation  attd  their  cattle  drink. 
[  .   .   .  ]     ^'^And  Moses  took  the  rod  from   before  Yahweh,  as  he    9 
commanded  him.     And  Moses  and  Aaron  gathered  the  assembly  10 
together  before  the  rock, — and  he  said  unto  them.  Hear  now,  ^'''ye 

3Dt.  10:6.  ■>t6  :  3  and  refs.  ^cf.  Ex.  17  :  2.  «i4  :  2.  ''16:35.  8E.x.  14  :  "  :  '7  ■  3.  etc 
9i7  :  42f.  and  refs.  '"17  :  10  ;  Ex.  7  :  9  elc.  "Cf.  21  :  i6ff.  ;  Ex.  17  :  2-7.  i^Cf.  Ex.  17  :  2-7. 
>3Vs.  24  :  27  :  14. 

vv.  22  and  24  it  is  clear  tlvit  the  scene  in  F  was  Meiibah  Kadesh  as  in  J-     The 
latter  element  is  displaced  ;  see  Analysis. 

*  The  introduction  of  the  "  cattle  "  in  vv.  4,  8,  11  has  been  shown  by  Cor- 
nill  (Z.  A.  IV.  .\i.  r)  to  be  the  work  of  Rp.  The  same  writer  confirms  the  con- 
jecture of  NoldeUe  and  Kayser  that  vs.  lob  was  originally  addressed  by 
Yahweh  to  Moses  and  Aaron,  "  Hear  now  ye  rebels  (in  P-  Moses  and  Aaron 
are  the  "rebels";  cf.  vs.  24  and  xxvii.  14),  [sc.  who  say]  shall  we  bring  forth 
water  out  of  this  rock?"  and  formed  part  of  the  material  eliminated  after  vs. 
8,  which  related  the  obnoxious  story  of  Moses'  sin.  This  view  is  supported  by 
the  LXX.,  which  has  "  Hear  w^"in  vs.  10.  In  Cornill's  more  radical  con- 
clusions as  to  the  original  form  of  P-  and  J  we  are  not  prepared  wholly  to  con- 
cur, regarding  the  analvsis  above  given  as  a  simpler  exiilanation. 


204  A  UMBERS.  xx.  n. 

11  rebels  ;  shall  we  bring  you  forth  7i.'ater  out  of  this  roek  I — *And 
Moses  lifted  up  his  hand,  and  smote  the  rock  with  his  rod  fwice: 
and  7vater  came  forth  abundantly,  and  the  congregation  drank,  end 

12  tlu'ir  cattle.  And  Yahtoeh  said  unto  Moses  and  Aaron,  Because 
ye  believed  not  in  me,  to  sanctify  me  in  the  eyes  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  '"'therefore  ye  shall  not  bring  this  asse/nbly  into  the  land 

13  which  I  have  given  them.  These  are  the  ^heaters  of  Meribah  ;  * 
[  .  .  .  J  because  the  children  of  Israel  ^^strove  with  Yahwch,  and 
he  was  sanctified  in  them. 


§  YI.     Nu.  XX.  14 — XXV.  ;  xxvii.   12-23  ;  xxxii.  i — xxxiii.  49. 
From  K  a  desk  to  the  Jordan. 

Prolegoiniexa. 

All  the  sources  pass  over  in  silence  the  39  years  of  wander- 
ing ;  so  much  so  that  it  is  not  at  first  apparent  where  these 
years  are  supposed  to  come  in.  The  difiiculty  comes  from  the 
fact  that  in  J  and  E,  Kadesh  is  reached  before  the  episode  of 
the  spies,  from  which  depends  the  sentence  of  wandering,  and 
is,  in  fact,  their  point  of  departure  ;  whereas  according  to  P 
Kadesh  is  not  reached  until  the  40th  year  (see  note  on  xx.  i.). 
Num.  XX.  i4-22a  ;  xxi.  4a/'-9  (E)  takes   up  the   story  after  xiv. 

nCi.  Dt.  I  :  37.       '^Vs.  24  ;  27  :  14.     '"Cl.  vs.  3  ;Ex.  17  :  2-7, 

*  For  the  displacement  of  vs.  lob  see  note  preceding.  In  vv.  8b  and  1 1 
the  hand  of  Rj)  is  demonstrably  present,  and  it  may  fairly  be  presumed  that  he 
altered  the  verl;s  of  vv.  5  and  8  from  the  singular  addressed  to  Moses  alone  to 
the  plural.  For  "///<■  rod  "  in  place  of  " ///V  rod  "  we  have  the  authority  of 
LXX.  and  of  vv.  8f.  "  Twice."  vs.  1 1  may  be  genuine,  but  looks  like  an 
attempt  to  explain  the  sin  of  Moses,  as  an  exceeding  of  his  commission. 

t  Insert  "of  Kadesh  "  as  in  xxvii.  14,  The  etymology  "  strove,"  "was  sanc- 
tified," demands  both  elements  of  the  name.  J  also  employs  the  term  "the 
waters  of  Meribah,"  Dt,  xx.xiii.  8.  and  Meribath-Kadesh,  Dt.  xxxiii.  2,  but  the 
verse  cannot  be  assigned  t<>  J  I''.  (Kautzsch  notwithstanding),  partly  because  in 
both  J  and  F.  the  name  Meribah  is  connected  with  a  strife  of  the  people  against 
yi/f).w,  not  ^■:lhwc■h;  partly  because  it  is  onlv  in  P  that  the  name  Kadesh  is 
plaved  n])on.  (Cf.  vs.  12  and  24,  and  xxvii.  14).  PImvs  upon  words  are  com- 
parativelv  rare  in  V-.  but  not  unknown  ;  cf.  Cen.  xvii.  5,  17  :   N'tmi.  xviii.  2. 


FROM  KADESH  TO   THE  JORDAN.  205 

25,  39-45  (command  Xc  make  the  circuit  of  Edom,  and  disaster 
at  Hormah,  E)  and  continues  it  without  any  apparent  break  ; 
but  it  is  probable  from  Num.  xx.  ib,  16.  Jos.  xxiv.  7,  and  Dt.  i. 
46,  (note  also  the  +  of  LXX.  in  xiv.  45)  that  E  in  like  manner 
with  J  (xiv.  II)  supposes  the  principal  part  of  the  40  years  to 
be  spent  in  Kadesh  and  its  neighboring  oases  (cf.  xx.  i  and 
16).  In  Num.  xx.  our  principal  source  is  E,  but  both  P-  and 
J  have  a  part,  the  former  being  as  usual  easier  to  disentangle, 
but  in  this  section  remarkably  dislocated  and  confused  in  proc- 
ess of  redaction. 

P^  relates  the  coming  of  the  "congregation  "  from  Kadesh- 
Meribah  to  mount  Hor,  where  Aaron  dies,  and  is  succeeded  by 
Eleazar.  A  30  days'  mourning  is  observed  by  the  people  ;  xx. 
2  2b-29.  Thence  by  regular  stages  Israel  journeys  to  the  plams 
of  Moab  ;  xxi.  tif.  ;  xxii.  i.  Here  a  disaster  befalls  them, 
brought  about  by  the  machinations  of  Balaam  the  son  of  Beor, 
who  had  counselled  the  Midianites  to  entice  Israel  to  sin 
through  their  women  (supplied  from  xxxi.  16).  On  account 
of  Israel's  intermarriage  with  the  Midianite  women  a  plague  is 
sent  upon  the  camp  and  stayed  only  by  the  summary  act  of 
Phinehas  ;  xxv,  6-15.  Yahweh  commands  a  war  of  extermina- 
tion against  Midian,  [whose  land  is  taken  from  them,  xxxii.  4]; 
xxv.  16-18,  possible  traces  in  ch.  xxxi.  (P^).  The  rest  of  the 
book  of  Numbers  from  ch.  xxv.  on  contains  nothing  belonging 
to  the  narrative,  save  the  direction  to  Moses  to  ascend  mount 
Abarim  and  die  there,  after  installing  Joshua,  and  the  priestly 
element  in  the  story  of  the  inheritance  of  Gad  and  Reuben. 
The  latter  should  probably  precede  the  preliminaries  to  Moses' 
death  xxvii.  12-23.  Upon  the  request  of  Gad  and  Reuben  that 
the  territory  taken  from  Midian  may  be  reserved  for  their 
inheritance,  Moses  directs  Eleazar  the  priest  and  Joshua  (hence 
the  displacement  of  xxvii.  12-23)  to  bestow  the  trans- Jordanic 
territory  on  the  two  tribes,  on  condition  of  their  participation 
in  the  conquest  ;  xxxii.  la,  2b,  4,  i8f.,  28-33.  Thereafter  Moses 
is  commanded,  after  installing  Joshua,  to  ascend  mount  Abarim, 
view  the  land  and  die  there  ;  xxvii.  12-23.  Chh.  xxvi.-xxvii. 
II  belong  to  the   priestly   legislative  material  giving  the  census 


20G  NUMBERS. 

preparatory  to  distributi(jn  of  the  inheritances,  and  directions 
for  the  inheritance  of  daughters.  Chh.  xxviii.-xxx.,  various 
Levitical  offerings,  (no  connection).  Ch.  xxxi.,  a  late  midrash, 
expanding  and  supplanting  P^'s  story  of  the  war  against  Mfdian. 
Chh.  xxxiv.-xxxvi.,  iiovcllae  to  the  priestly  law  relating  to  the 
distribution  of  the  land.  These  latter  are  omitted  as  immate- 
rial to  the  narrative. 

The  narrative  of  E  is  as  follows  :  From  Kadesh  Moses  sends 
messengers  to  the  king  of  Edom,  asking  leave  to  pass  through 
his  territory,  but  meets  peremptory  and  armed  refusal.  Israel 
therefore  turns  "  to  compass  the  land  of  Edom  ;"  xx.  14-21. 
The  people  are  discouraged,  and  complain  against  the  manna  ; 
fiery  serpents  are  sent  as  a  punishment,  and  on  Moses'  inter- 
cession the  serpent  of  brass  is  erected  and  heals  the  bitten  ; 
xxi,  4-9.  Skirting  the  eastern  border  of  Edom  and  Moab, 
Israel  reaches  and  crosses  the  upper  Arnon,  the  border 
between  Moab  and  the  Amorites  ;  vv.  12-15.  Moses  tliereupon 
sends  to  Sihon,  king  of  the  Amorites,  repeating  the  request 
made  to  Edom,  and  is  again  refused.  Sihon  comes  out  into 
the  wilderness  to  attack  Israel  at  Jahaz,  but  meets  overwhelm- 
ing defeat.  Israel  occupies  his  land;  vv.  21-24.  Balak,  king 
of  Moab,  alarmed  at  the  fate  of  Sihon,  sends  to  Aram-Naha- 
raim  for  the  prophet  Balaam  to  curse  Israel  ;  Balaam  at  first 
refuses,  but  at  the  second  request,  by  divine  instruction,  goes 
with  Balak's  messengers  ;  xxii.  4-21  in  part.  Arrived  in  Ar  on 
the  border  of  Moab  he  is  met  by  Balak,  and  after  sacrifices, 
pronounces  not  a  curse  but  a  blessing  upon  Israel.  When 
Balak  protests  he  reiterates  it  ^  xxii.  36-41  in  part,  ch.  xxiii. 
Israel  is  led  into  idolatry  by  the  daughters  of  Moab  ;  xxv.  if. 
4.  Gad  and  Reuben  receive  Gilead  as  their  portion,  upon 
promise  to  assist  the  other  tribes  in  the  conquest  of  the  land 
beyond  Jordan;  xxxii.  ib,  2a,  i6f.,  24,34-38. 

According  to  xiv.  33  we  must  suppose  m  J  a  period  of  40 
years  of  nomadic  life  in  the  desert  with  Kadesh  as  headquar- 
ters. This  period,  however,  is  doubtless  to  be  put,  as  in  E, 
after  the  disaster  at  Hormah  (xxi.  1-3)  since  the  order  of 
events  in  the  two  documents  is   the   same.     After  the  incident 


THE  CIRCUIT  OF  EDOM  AND  MOAB.  207 

of  the  report  of  the  spies  the  Canaanite  king  of  Arad  fights 
against  Israel  and  inflicts  a  defeat  upon  them,  which  Israel 
avenges  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city  of  Zephath,  after- 
wards called  Hormah  ;  xxi.  1-3.  'I'hence  Israel  journeys  by 
stages  through  the  territory  of  Edom  and  Moab,  and  encamps 
at  the  peak  of  Pisgah  in  the  field  of  Moab  ;  vv.  16-20.  Israel 
makes  conquest  of  Amorite  territory  east  of  Jordan  ;  vv.  24b, 
25,  3 if.  In  fear  and  envy  of  Israel's  greatness,  Balak,  son  of 
Zippor,  king  of  Moab,  sends  to  the  children  of  Ammon  to  hire 
the  prophet  Balaam  to  come  and  curse  Israel  ;  xxii.  2-21  in 
part.  On  the  way  Balaam  encounters  the  angel  of  Yahweh, 
who  is  recognized  by  the  prophet's  ass,  "  the  dumb  ass  speak- 
ing with  man's  voice  and  staying  the  madness  of  the  prophet  ;  " 
vv.  22-35.  Arrived  at  Kirjath-huzzoth  in  Moab,  Balaam,  con- 
fronting Israel,  pronounces  a  blessing  instead  of  a  curse,  and 
after  Balak's  protest,  a  second  blessing  ;  xxii.  39,  traces  in 
xxiii.  27ff.,  ch.  xxiv.  Israel  makes  a  league  with  Baal-peor  and 
IS  punished  ;  xxv.  3,  5.  Reuben  and  Gad  obtain  permission 
from  Moses  to  occupy  the  Amorite  cities  east  of  Jordan  ; 
Machir  takes  Gilead,  and  Jair  and  Nobah  perform  similar 
exploits — perhaps  at  a  later  time;  xxxii.  3,  5f..  20-23,  25-27. 
Vv.  39,  4if.  have  probably  been  displaced  from  after  Jos.  xvii. 
18. 

I.     Chh.  XX.  14-xxii.    I.     The  Circuit  of  Edom  and  Moab, 
AND  Conquest  of  Gilead. 

ANALYSIS. 

In  this  part  of  §vi.  the  priestly  element  is  very  easily  distinguished. 
The  marked  and  peculiar  phraseology  of  xx.  22b-29  is  enough  of  itself  to 
determine.  But  we  have  in  vs.  24  an  explicit  reference  to  the  "  rebel- 
lion "of  Moses  and  Aaron  related  by  P2  only  (vv.  1-13  ;  cf.  xxvii.  12-14) 
and  the  whole  paragraph  follows  faithfully  the  model  of  the  death  of 
Moses,  as  related  by  the  same  writer  in  xxvii,  12-14;  Dt.  xxxii.  48-52;  xxxiv. 
iff,  where  the  story  of  Aaron's  death  as  here  told  is  again  referred  to  (cf. 
Dt.  xxxii.50  with  vv.  23f).  We  have  on  the  other  hand  a  wholly  different 
and  contradictory  account  of  the  death  of  Aaron  in  Dt.  x.  6,  an  isolated 
bowlder  of  ancient  material,  broken  off  in  some  unaccountable  manner  from 


2U8  \UMJ:1ERS. 

the  itinerary  of  E  preceding  Num.  xx.  i  (cf.  Num.  xxi.  i2ff),  and  introduced 
in  most  extraordinary  fashion  into  the  midst  of  a  discourse  of  Moses. 
This  context  it  interrupts  in  so  flagrant  a  manner  that  the  imagination 
is  at  a  loss  to  conceive  an  explanation  of  its  insertion.  But  we  need  only 
compare  this  singular  fragment  Dt.  x.  6f.  (vv.  8f.  are  in  place)  with  Jos. 
xxiv.  33,  to  see  that  it  forms  the  middle  link  between  this  and  the 
account  of  Aaron's  calling  as  priest,  in  the  data,  now  missing,  which 
originally  preceded  Ex.  ii.  There  is  good  reason  therefore  to  consider 
it  a  fragment  of  Es  itinerary.  Now  the  formula  employed  in  this 
itinerary  corresponds  exactly  to  that  of  Num.  xxi.  i2ff,  but  differs  from 
that  invariably  employed  byP,<nthat  the  verb  is  not  put  first.  This 
latter  formula  (P-)  appears  only  in  vv.  lof.  of  ch.  xxi.  and  in  xxii.  i,  verses 
which  are  disconnected  from,  and  sometimes  interrupt  (xxii.  i)  the  con- 
text, but  agree  with  one  another  and  with  the  rest  of  P"^.  No  other 
trace  of  the  priestly  writer  appears  elsevi'here  in  this  subsection,  but 
everywhere  material  demonstrably  connected  with  JE. 

In  considering  the  "prophetic  "  element  we  have  first  to  observe  that 
xxi.  1-3  is  a  passage  which  in  any  event  interrupts  the  connection,  and 
no  less  so  after  the  removal  of  xx.  22b-29  than  before.  In  xxi.  4  we 
have  the  immediate  sequel  of  xx.  21,  which  does  not  tolerate  separation 
from  it,  and  the  fulfilment  of  xiv.  25.  "  From  mount  Hor  "  in  xxi.  4  is 
of  course  harmonistic  ;  otherwise  the  verse  connects  directly  with  xx.  21. 
Now  xiv.  25  was  assigned  to  E.  But  we  have  strong  independent 
ground  for  assigning  xx.  14-21,  22a;  xxi.  4a<Jff.  to  E.  Beginnint;  with 
XX.  i4fT.  we  find  a  number  of  characteristics  peculiar  to  this  writer  such 
as  the  term,  "  travail,"  unexampled  save  in  Ex.  xviii.  8 ;  "  the  an^el  of 
God  "  who  brought  them  out  of  Egypt  (cf.  Ex.  xiv.  19  ;  xxiii.  20 ;  xxxii. 
34)  and  others  indicated  by  the  references.  But,  as  w^e  saw,  xx.  i4ff.  is 
inseparable  from  xxi.  4ff.  Here  the  references  again  favor  E  as 
unmistakably  as  before,  and  include  the  very  important  item  that  J-lloJihn 
is  used  in  vs.  5,  where  in  either  P  or  J  we  should  certainly  have  "  Vah- 
weh,"  and  probably  "  murmured  "  instead  of  "  spake  against  "  (cf.  xii.  i  ; 
ct.  Ex.  XV.  24).  But  again,  whichever  source  xx.  14  ff.  and  xxi.  4ff.  are 
assigned  to,  xx.  1-3,  which  interrupts  their  sequence,  must  be  from  the 
other.  Hence  if  marks  of  E  were  found  in  xxi.  1-3  it  would  throw 
doubt  upon  the  case.  But  we  have  already  attributed  one  story  of  the 
disaster  at  Hormah  (xiv.  39-45)  to  E,  and  should  be  impelled  independ- 
ently to  assign  xxi.  1-3  to  J  on  account  of  the  language  (see  refs.).  But 
we  have  still  further  to  go,  and  shall  find  corroborations  of  our  analysis 
as  we  advance.  Vv.  21 -24a  have  a  structure  identical  with  xx.  I4ff.  and 
must  unavnidablv  be  attributed  to  the  same  author.     The    gcograi^hical 


THE  CIRCUIT  OF  EDOM  AM)  MOAB.  2U9 

situation  here  is  unique  and  important.  Israel  is  "  out  in  the  wilder- 
ness "  at  Jahaz  (vs.  23),  i.  e.  beyond  the  eastern  outskirts  of  Edoni, 
Moab  and  the  Amorite,  who,  in  the  order  named,  extend  from  the  Gulf 
of  Akaba  to  the  Jabbok,  along  the  east  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  Jor- 
dan. In  other  words  they  have  made  the  circuit  of  Edom,  and  of  Moab 
as  well,  respecting  the  territory  of  these  kindred  peoples.  Now  this  not 
only  agrees  with  xiv.  25  ;  xx.  14-21  ;  xxi.  4-9,  but  is  exactly  the  repre- 
sentation of  vv.  12-15,  the  geographical  situation  in  vs.  13  being  identi- 
cal with  vs.  23.  But  this  itinerary  was  found  to  show  affinity  with  Dt.  x. 
6f.,  a  passage  which  in  its  turn  showed  evidence  of  derivation  from  E  ; 
and  thus  the  chain  of  connection  with  E  is  completed  in  still  another 
direction. 

These  geographical  data  are  significant  from  their  perfect  self-consist- 
ency, but  much  more  so  from  the  fact  that  in  Deuteronomy  we  have 
the  traces  of  a  wholly  different  and  contradictory  itinerary,  and  that  this 
latter  is  also  represented  in  Num.  xxi.  The  author  of  Num.  xx.  14-21  ; 
xxi.  4-9,  12-15,  21-24  (E)  takes  great  pains  to  make  clear  and  positive 
the  statement  that  Israel  did  not  pass  through  the  territory  of  Edom 
and  Moab,  but  when  their  request  for  permission  to  pass  through  under 
guarantee  of  peaceful  behavior  was  refused,  turned  quietly  away, 
respecting  the  rights  of  these  kindred  peoples,  and  addressed  themselves 
to  the  laborious  journey  entirely  around  Edom  and  Moab,  "  by  the  way  of 
the  Red  Sea  "  ;  /.  e.  southward  from  Kadesh  to  the  northernmost  point 
of  the  Gulf  of  Akaba,  and  so  eastward  and  northward  across  the  upper 
courses  of  the  Zered  and  Arnon,  keeping  outside  of  the  settled  country 
for  the  entire  distance.  True,  this  may  be,  as  critics  claim,  historically 
insupposable,  the  passage  between  Edom  and  the  Gulf  of  Akaba  being 
impossible  to  achieve  peacefully  without  the  consent  of  Edom.  in  fact 
requiring  the  crossing  of  Edomite  territory  ;  but  such  is  E's  representa- 
tion, made  in  most  positive  and  unambiguous  terms  ;  and  in  support  of 
it  he  cites  a  few  lines  from  an  ancient  collection  of  ballads  called  "  the 
Book  of  the  Wars  of  Yahweh  "  apparently  with  the  sole  object  of  show- 
ing the  border  of  Moab  to  have  been  formed  at  the  time  by  the  lower 
course  of  the  Arnon.  Israel  has  crossed  the  upper  course  of  Arnon 
"  which  Cometh  out  of  the  border  of  the  Amorites."  but  is  "  in  the  wild- 
erness "  ;  hence,  if  a  trespasser  at  all.  a  trespasser  against  the  Amorite 
only,  and  according  to  \v.  2iff.  not  really  in  the  territory  even  of  the 
Amorite.  This  representation  is  only  partly  followed  by  D.  As  far  as 
Dt.  ii.  I  he  agrees  with  E,  but  in  ii.  3  we  read  the  divine  command,  "  Ve 
have  compassed  this  mountain  long  enough  :  turn  you  northward,  and  com- 
mand thou  the  people,  saying.  ^V  are  to  pass  through  the  border  of  your 


210  NUMBERS. 

brethren  the  children  of  Esau,  which  dwell  in  Sdr."  In  vs.  tg  it  rs  pos- 
itively asserted  that  both  Edom  and  Moab  did  actually  thus  permit  Israel 
to  pass  through.  On  the  contrary,  in  another  part  of  Dt.  (xxiii.  3-8) 
which  follows  E's  form  of  the  Balaam-story  (vs.  4)  it  is  asserted  with 
equal  positiveness  that  Moab  refused  ihem  bread  and  water  in  the  way  ; 
and  in  Jud.  xi.  17  this  is  expressly  stated  of  both  Edom  and  Moab. 
Deuteronomy  does  not  state  that  Edom  showed  a  fraternal  spirit ;  but 
this  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  in  Dt.  xxiii.  7,  in  contrast  to  the 
Moabite,  the  Edomite  is  not  to  be  abhorred  ;  "  for  he  is  thy  brother." 
It  is  certain  that  these  conflicting  statements  of  Dt.  and  Judges  are  not 
from  the  same  hand.  It  is  not  yet  certain,  though  probable,  that  they 
go  back  to  conflicting  data  in  the  historical  sources  of  Dt.,  7>is.  J  and  E. 
But  this  probability  becomes  a  certainty,  when  we  turn  again  to  Num. 
xxi.  and  observe  the  contrast  of  vv.  16-20  with  the  preceding.  \\\  12- 
1 5  bring  us  to  the  point  of  junction  of  the  borders  of  Moab  and  the 
Amorite.  The  poetic  citation  undertakes  to  show  how  Israel  has  con- 
scientiously respected  the  territory  of  both.  In  vs.  13,  as  later  in  vs.  23, 
Israel  is  "  in  the  wilderness,"  and  when,  in  vv.  nf.,  they  are  brought  to 
the  actual  line,  there  is  no  room  for  any  further  relation  of  their  journey- 
ings,  especially  not  inside  the  territory  of  Moab  or  the  Amorite.  The 
author  mtisf  go  on  to  tell  us  how  they  either  got  permission  to  cross  the 
border  or  fought.  The  envoys  of  vs.  21  start  from  the  geographical 
point  of  vv.  12-15;  in  other  words  vv.  2iff.  iiiiisf  be  the  immediate 
sequel  of  vv.  12-15,  and  this  context  will  not  tolerate  the  interruption  of 
vv.  16-20  which  relate  how  Israel  continues  from  stage  to  stage  in 
Moabite  territory,  and  actually  represents  them  as  passing  "  from 
Bamoth  (of  Moab  ;  cf.  vs.  28  R.  V.  margin)  to  the  valley  that  is  iti  the 
field  of  Moab,  to  the  top  of  Pisgah  which  looketh  down  upon  the  des- 
ert "  ;  yet  in  vs.  23  they  are  still  "out  in  the  wilderness  at  Jahaz."  Not 
only  vs.  20b,  as  claimed  by  Meyer  and  others,  must  be  separated 
from  E  ;  but  the  whole  of  vv.  16-20  must  be  assigned  to  J  (see  refs.), 
and  forms  a  kind  of  parallel  in  this  source  to  the  story  of  the  smitten 
rock.  (See  above  p.  160).  Whether  the  Beer  here  referred  to  be  the  Beer  of 
Jud.  ix.  21,  or  Beer-elim  of  Is.  xv.  8,  it  is  a  Moabite  city  like  Bamoth. 
In  fact  the  whole  list  of  vv.  16-20  is  a  list  of  Moabite  localities,  repre- 
senting a  totally  different  traditioh  from  that  of  vv.  12-15  and  Dt.  xxiii. 
4 ;  but  apparently  the  same  as  that  of  Dt.  ii.  29. 

The  rest  of  ch.  xxi.  is  commonly  taken  as  a  unit,  with  the  exception 
that  vv.  32-35  are  assigned  to  a  later  hand.  \'v.  21-24  are  indeed  insep- 
arable from  XX.  i4ff.  and  are  vouched  for  by  Jos.  xxiv.  8.  There  can  be 
no  doubt  that  they  come  from  E.     But  in  vv.  24b -32  the  structure   is  by 


THE  CIRCUIT  OF  EOM  Aviium  MOAB.  211 

no  means  uniform.  In  24a  we  have  a  description  of  the  territory  of 
Sihon  by  its  two  boundaries,  Arnon  and  Jabbok.  What  follows  in  the 
rest  of  the  verse  and  in  vs.  25  is  part  of  a  description  of  the  territory  In' 
its  cities.  Vs.  24b,  "  for  Jazer  was  the  border-town  toward  the  chil- 
dren of  Ammon  "  (see  notez«  loc^  refers  to  this  city  as  if  we  had  already 
heard  of  its  conquest.  Vs.  25  is  still  more  unexpected  ;  for  there  we 
learn  that  "  Israel  took  all  these  cities."  But  no  city  has  been  mentioned 
save  Jahaz,  which  it  does  not  appear  that  Israel  took,  and  Jazer ;  but 
both  together  will  not  make  "  all  these  cities,"  moreover  it  appears  from 
the  rest  of  the  verse  that  the  principal  one  meant  was  Heshbon.  Now 
we  do  indeed  hear  of  the  capture  of  Jazer  in  vs.  32,  but  this  story 
does  not  seem  as  if  it  could  be  part  of  the  preceding  narrative  of  how 
Israel  took  all  the  country  of  Sihon,  king  of  the  Amorites,  from  Arnon 
even  unto  Jabbok,  for  that  certainly  reaches  a  full  stop  in  vs.  31,  "  Thus 
Israel  dwelt  in  the  land  of  the  Amorites."  Yet  Jazer  according  to  vs.  32 
is  an  Amorite  town.  Again  it  appears  from  xxxii.  3,  5,  that  this  terri- 
tory was  taken,  and  it  is  there  also  described  by  its  cities.  But  this  part 
of  ch.  xxxii.  is  positively  J's.  It  appears  then  that  J  had  an  account  of 
the  conquest  of  this  territory,  specifically  of  Heshbon  and  Jazer,  and 
from  xxxii,  39  it  appears  that  J  did  call  the  inhabitants  of  some  of  these 
Gileadite  cities  Amorites,  using  in  fact  in  that  verse  exactly  the  same 
expression  as  in  xxi.  32  ;  cf.  Jud.  i.  34f.  We  must  accordingly  attribute 
xxi.  24  from  "even  unto  the  children  of  Ammon,"  25  and  32,  to  J.  Vv. 
27-31  on  the  other  hand  are  certainly  E's,  both  from  the  connection 
(Sihon)  and  the  language  (see  28b,  refs.).  The  poem  is  doubtless  taken 
from  the  same  source  as  vv.  i4f.  whose  scheme  is  nearly  the  same.  It 
certainly  might  well  belong  from  its  subject  in  the  Book  of  the  Wars  of 
Yahweh.  Vv.  24b,  25  have  been  taken  from  after  vs.  32  to  bring  the 
mention  of  Heshbon  into  connection  with  the  reference  in  the  poem. 
Vs.  26  is  redactional ;  see  note  z«  loc.  So  Meyer  on  independent 
grounds,  Z.  A.  W.  1881.  The  striking  duplication  of  vs.  25b  (J )  by  vs. 
31  (E)  is  thus  explained. 

^'v.  33-35  may  possibly  contain  a  trace  of  primitive  material  ;  for  the 
defeat  of  Og,  king  of  Bashan,  at  Edrei,  is  not  an  editorial  invention. 
But  the  primitive  portions  of  ch.  xxxii.  do  not  show  the  conquest  to  have 
extended  north  of  Jabbok.  The  passage  here  simply  rounds  out  the 
story  of  the  conquest  of  Gilead  and,  whatever  its  original  source,  appears 
here  to  be  taken  verbatim  from  Dt.  iii.  iff.  The  language  of  vs.  33  is 
that  of  D  and  not  of  E  (cf.  vs.  23  with  Dt.  ii.  32),  that  of  vs.  35  has  a  sim- 
ilar character,  while  vs.  34  contains  nothing  but  Deuteronomistic  ideas 
and    phrases.     Nevertheless    the    data   may  well    be  supposed  to  have 


212  NUMBERS.  XX.  14. 

come  originally  from  a  primitive  source,  perhaps  E.  But  the  entire 
absence  of  Og  from  subsequent  references  in  \i  passages  where  Sihon  is 
spoken  of  is  significant  (cf.  xxii.  2  ;  Jos.  x.xiv.  8  ;  Jud.  xi.  22). 

The  remarkable  fragment  from  "  the  satirists  "  (27a.  R.  V.  ••  they  that 
speak  in  proverbs;  "  cf.  Is.  xiv.  4of?.  where  the  "  proverb  "  (R.  V.  "  par- 
able ")  seems  to  be  a  poem  of  exultation  over  a  defeated  foei  has  been 
shown  by  Meyer,  Z.  A.  IV.  1881,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  majority  of 
critics,  to  be  a  song  of  triumph  over  one  of  the  victories  of  Israel  over 
Moab,  in  the  wars  of  the  9th  century  (2  Kings  iii.  4ff.)  of  which  the 
stone  of  Mesha  remains  a  precious  niemorial.  .Sihon.  according  to 
Meyer,  wasa  Moabite,  not  an  Amorite  king;  hence  the  author  of  vv.  21, 
26  and  2gbb  (see  note  m  loc. )  misunderstands  the  application  of  the 
poem.  As  with  other  ancient  fragments  of  song  the  text  is  exceedingly 
corrupt,  though  much  has  been  done  by  Meyer  and  others  to  improve  it 
through  comparison  of  the  versions,  but  especially  of  the  singularly  fortu- 
nate citation  in  Jer.  xlviii.  45f.  For  these  emendations  and  comments  in 
detail  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  notes  ///  lot.  The  representation  of  J 
seems  to  have  been  practically  the  same  as  K's,  and  may  have  served 
as  its  model.  Both  take  pains  to  show  that  Moab's  treachery  (chh. 
xxii.ff.)  preceded  any  act  of  hostility  on  Israel's  part. 


14  (E)  ''And  Moses  sent  messengers  from  Kadesh  unto  the 
^*king  of  Edom,  Thus  saith  '^thy  brother  Israel,  Thou  know- 

15  est  all  the"^''  travail  that  hath  befallen  us  :  how  our  fathers 
went  down  into  Egyjn,  and  -'  we  dwelt  in  Egypt  a  long  time  ; 

16  and  the  Egyptians  evil  entreated  us,  and  our  fathers:  and 
when  we  cried  unto  Yahweh,  he  heard  our  voice,  and  -"^sent 
an  angel,  and    brought    us  forth  out  of    l\gypt  :   and,  behold, 

17  we  are  in  Kadesh.  a  city  in  the  uttermost  of  thy  border  :  let 
us  pass,  1  pray  ihee,  through  thy  land  :  we  will  not  pass 
through -'•'  field  or  through  vineyard,  neither  will  we  drink  of 
the  water  of  the  wells  :  we  will  go  along  the  king's  |high|  way, 
we  will  not  turn  aside  to  the  right  hand  nor  lo  the  left,  until 

18  we  have  passed  thy  border.  And  luloni  said  unto  him, 
Thou  shall  not    pass  through  me.  lest    1    come    out    with  the 

19  sword    against  thee.     And    the    children  of    Israel    said  unto 

I'-ji  :  7.\  ;  Jud.  II  ■  17  :  ct.  Dt.  2  :  26-29.     '"Gen.  36  :  ^iff.     '''Di.  2;  :  8  ;  -  :  4.     -"E.\.  18  : 
fi.     2'Jos.  24  •  7-     ■■'■■'Ex.  JLS  :  2..  :  .v  :  ^4-     ■■''•^  :  m;   2'  :  2=-     "^^^^-   -^  '■  '''• 


XXI.  2.  THE  CIRCUIT  OF  EDOM  AND  MOAB.  213 

him,  We  will  go  up  by  the  high  way  :  and  if  we  drink  of  thy 
water,  I  and  my  cattle,*  then  will  I  give  the  '*  price  thereof  : 
let  me  only,  without  [doing]  any  thing  [else]  pass  through 
on  my  feet.  And  he  said,  Thou  shalt  not  pass  through.  20 
And  Edom  came  out  against  him  with  much  people,  and 
•ia  with  a  strong  hand.  Thus  Edom  -^  refused  to  give  Israel  21 
passage  through  his  border  :  wherefore  Israel  turned  away 
from  him. 

(P)  '-'"  And  they  jonnieyed from  Kadesh  :  f  and  the  children  0/22 
Israel,    even    the    7vhole     ccmgregation,    cafne   unto    mount  Hor. 
28  And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses   and  Aaron  in  mount   Hor,  by  21 
the  border  of  the  land  of  Edom,  saying,  Aaron  shall  be  gathered  24 
unto  his  people  :  for  he  shall  not  enter  into  the  land  which   I  have 
given  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  because  '-'^ ye  rebelled  against  my 
7vord  at  the  waters  of  Meribah.      Take  Aaron  and  Eleazar   his  25 
son,  and  bring  them  up  unto  7nount  Hor  :  and  strip  Aaron  of  his  26 
garments,  and  put  them  upon  Eleazar  his  son  :  and  Aaron   shall 
he  gathered  [unto  his  people']  a?id  shall  die  there.     And  Moses  did  27 
as  Yahweh  commanded :  and  they  went  up  into  mount  Hor  in  the 
sight  of  all  the  congregation.     And  Moses   stripped  Aaron  of  his  28 
garments,  and  put  them  upon  Eleazar  his  son  ;  and  '^^  Aaron  died 
there  in  the  top  of  the  inounf  :  and  Moses  and  Eleazar  came  dozvn 
from    the    mount.     And  7ohen  all  the    congregration    saw    that  29 
Aaron  was  dead,  they  '^^  7oept  for  Aaron  thirty   days,  even  all  the 
house  of  Israel. 

(J)    ^Aiid  the  Canaanite,  the  king  of  Arad,  which  21 
dwelt  in  the  South,  heard  tell  that  Israel  came  by  the 
way  of  Atharim ;  and  he  fought  against  Israel,  and 
took  some  of  them  captive.    And  Israel  vowed  a  vow    2 

^■tDt.  2  :  6.  25Ex.  3  :  19  and  refs.  ^sGen.  20  :  6  ;  ch.  22  :  13.  "'21  :  n  ;  Ex.  16  :  i  and 
refs.     2801.32:50.     29Vs.  10  ;  27  :  14.     ^oci.  Dt.  10  :  6.     3101.34:8.     'Cf.  MMoff- 

*  After  the  40  years'  nomadic  life  in  Kadesh  it  is  no  marvel  if  Israel  appears 
even  in  E  supplied  with  flocks  and  herds  ;  cf.    xxxii.  16  (E). 

t  "  Kadesh,"  in  the  opinion  of  most  critics,  is  R's  adaptation  of  the  verse  to 
the  preceding  context  (cf.  vv.  14,  16)  ;  but  P'^  might  perhaps  have  written 
Kadesh,  or  at  least  Meribath-Kadesh  (Dt.  xxxii.  51),  instead  of  Wilderness  of 
Zin  after  vs.  13. 


214  ■      NUMBERS.  XXI.  5 

unto  Yahweh,  and  said.  If  thou  wilt  indeed  deliver 
this  people  into  my  hand,  then  I  will  utterly  destroy 

3  their  cities.  And  Yahweh  harkened  to  the  voice  of 
Israel,  and  delivered  up  the  -Canaanites ;  and  they 
utterly  destroyed  them  and  their  cities :  and  the 
name  of  the  place  was  called  '^Hormali.* 

4  (P)  (B.)  And  they  journeyed  from  mount  Nor  [  .  .  .J  *by 
the  way  to  the  Red  Sea,  to  compass  the  land  of  Edom  :  and 
the    soul    of  the    people  was  much  discouraged    because    of 

5  the  way.  And  the  people  ^spake  against  God,  and  against 
Moses,  Wherefore  have  ye  brought  us  up  out  of  Egypt  to 
die  in  the  wilderness?  for  there  is  no  bread,  and  there  is  no 

6  water  ;  and  our  soul  loatheth  ''this  light  bread.  And  Yah- 
weh sent  fiery  serpents   among  the    people,  and  they  bit  the 

7  people  ;  and  much  people  of  Israel  died.  And  the  people 
came  to  Moses,  and  said,  'We  have  sinned,  because  we  have 
spoken  against  Yahweh,  and  against  thee  ;  pray  unto  Yah- 
weh, that  he  take  away  the  serpents  from  us.     And    Moses 

8  prayed  for  the  people.  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Make 
thee  a  fiery  serpent,  and  set  it  upon  a  ^standard  :  and  it 
shall  come  to   pass,  that  every  one  that  is  bitten,  when    he 

9  seeth  it,  shall  live.  And  Moses  made  a  ^serpent  of  brass, 
and  set  it  upon  the  standard  :  and  it  came  to  pass,  that  if  a 
serpent   had  bitten  any  man,  when  he  looked  unto  the   ser- 

10  (P)  pent  of   brass,   he  lived  [  .  .  .  jf     ^'^And  the  children  of 

1 1  Israel  journeyed,   and  pitched  in    Oboth.     And  they  journeyed 

2Ex.  ;j  :8and  refs.  ^Jud.  i  :  i6  ;  ^14  :  25  ;  20  :  21.  ^^12:1.  «Ex.  16  ;  4ff  ;  cf.  cli.  11  : 
4ff.      '14  :  4n  and  rcfs       "Ex.  17:16.       "II  Kgs.  18  :  4.      i''22  :  i. 

*  The  name  of  Hoiniah  (=  "Fortress")  is  derived  here  by  an  imaginative 
etymology  from  /leri'fn  to  "ban"  or  "devote"  (see  Lev.  xxvii.  28f).  The 
word  should  not  be  translated  "  utterly  destroy,"  but  "  devote."  Here  in  fact 
the  cities  are  not  even  captured  until  Jud.  i.  i6f  (J).  Israel  suffers  a  reverse 
from  the  king  of  Arad,  as  related  by  E  in  xiv.  4off.,  devotes  their  cities  to  Vah- 
weh,  and  is  enabled  to  win  a  victory.  "The  place"  is  called  Iformah,  and 
when  afterward  (Jud.  i.  i6f. )  the  cities  are  taken  and  burnt,  Zephalh  receives 
this  name  ;  because  the  /lereiii  or  vow  of  destruction  is  then  carried  out. 

t  Insert  here  the  data  of  Dl.  ii.  Sf.,  17-19  referred  to  in  l)t.  ii.  29  and  add 
])t.  X.  6f.  and  the  traces  in  I)t.  i.   1. 


XXI.  20.       THE  CIRCUIT  OF  EDOM  AND  MOAB.  215 

(E)  from  Oboth^  and  pitched  at  lye-abarini/xn    the    wilderness 
which  is  before  Moab,  toward  the  sunrising.     '^From  thence  12 
they  journeyed,  and  pitched  in  the  valley  of   Zered.     From  13 
thence  they  journeyed,  and  pitched  on  the  other  side  of  Arnon, 
which  is  ^'^in    the  wilderness,  that  cometh  out  of  the  border 
of  the  Amorites  :  for  Arnon  is  the  border  of  Moab,  between 
Moab  and   the  Amorites.     Wherefore  it  is   said  in   the  book  14 
of  the  Wars  of  Yahweh, 

Vaheb  in  Suphah,*  15 

And  the  valleys  of  Arnon, 
And  the  slope  of  the  valleys 
That  inclineth  toward  the  dwelling  of  Ar, 
And  leaneth  upon  the  border  of  Moab. 
(J)  And  from  thence  [they  jonrneyed]  to  ^^Beer :  that  16 
is  the  well  "whereof  Yahweh  said  nnto  Moses  ^'Gather 
the  people  together,  and  I  will  give  them  water. 
Then  sang  ^"Israel  this  song  :  1 7 

Spring  np,  0  well ;  sing  ye  nnto  it :  18 

The  well,  which  the  princes  ^'digged. 
Which  the  nobles  of  the  people  ^^delved. 
With  the  ^^sceptre,  [and]  with  their  staves. 
And  from  the  wilderness  [they  journeyed]  to  Matta-  19 
nah ;   and    from    Mattanah    to  Nahaliel :    and  from 
Nahaliel  to  Bamoth  :    and  from  Bamoth  to  the  val-  20 
ley  that  is  in  the  field  of  Moab,  "to  the  top  of  Pisgah, 
which  looketh  down  npon  the  desert. f 

10  :  29.      '=Cf.   20  :  7f  ;    Ex.   17  :  5f. 
26  :  isff  ;  E,\.  7  :  24.      "*Gen.  26  :  25. 

*  The  LXX.  seems  to  have  had  Zahab,  which  seems  also  to  have  been  the 
reading  known  by  the  Jewish  Midiash.  Both  Vaheb,  or  Zahab,  and  Suphah 
are  doubtless  proper  names,  whose  collocation  recalls  the  Suph  of  Dt.  i.  i  con- 
nected there  with  a  certam  Di-zahab. — After  vs.  12  Sam.  insert  Dt.  ii.  i8f. 

f  For  the  probable  significance  of  the  fragment  in  vv.  \-]i.  to  which  LXX  give 
the  title  "  Song  of  the  Well,"  see  above  p.  160.  Similar  instances  of  word  plays 
givmg  rise  to  stories  of  miracles  are  cited  in  my  "  Gen.  of  Gen."  pp,  13-18.  cf. 
Ex.  XV.  8  with  P  in  Ex.  xiv  ;  Jud.  xv:  16  with  15;  Dt.  x.xxiii.  25  (Heb.)  with 
xxix.  5  etc.      In    vs.  18   read,  with    LXX.    "from    lieer  "    (niinlh'cr   instead    of 


"Dt.  10:6.     '2Vs.    23. 

isjud. 

9  :26;  Is.  15: 

'*Ex.  15  :  I  ;    Jos.  lo  :  12: 

Jud.  5 

:i.      I'Gen.    21 

i^Gen.  49  :  10.     203,  ,.  ^g 

2U5  NUMBERS.  XXI.  21. 

21  (E)  '■^^'\nd  Israel  sent  messengers  unto  Sihon  king  of  the 

22  Amorites,  saying,  Let  me  pass  through  thy  land  :  we  will  not 
turn  aside  into  field,  or  into  vineyard  ;  we  will  not  drink  of 
the  water  of  the  wells  :  we  will  go  by  the  king's  [high]  way, 

23  until  we  have  passed  thy  border.  And  Sihon  would  not  suf- 
fer Israel  to  pass  through  his  border  :  but  Sihon  gathered 
all  his  people  together,  and  went  out  against  Israel  into  the 
wilderness,  and  came  to  Jahaz  :  and  he  fought  against  Israel. 

24  And  Israel  smote  him  with  the  edge  of  the  sword,  and  '•^pos- 
(J)  sessed  his  land  from  Arnon  unto  Jabbok, — [.  .  .]  eveil 
unto  the  children  of  Amnion  :  for  the  border  of  the 

25  children  of  Amnion  was  strong.*  And  Israel  took  all 
these  cities  :  and  Israel  dwelt  in  all  the  cities  of  the 
Amorites,  in  Heshbon,  and  in  all  the  ^^  towns  thereof. 

26  (Rje) — For  Heshbon  was  the  city  of  Sihon  the  king  of  the  Amorites, 
who  had  fought  against  the  former  king  of  Moab,  and  taken  aU  his  land  out 

27  (E)  of  his  hand,  even  nnto  Arnon. t  Wherefore  they  that  speak 
in  proverbs  say, 

"'20:  i4ff  and  refs.     ^ajos.  24  :  8.     "■'^Vs.  32  ;  32  :  42  :  Jos.  16  :  iiff ;  Jud.   i  :  27. 

tuiiimidbar);  cf.  vs.  16.  The  Mass.  reading  is  very  likely  connected  with  the 
foolish  haggadah  about  the  "well  of  Miriam."  In  vs.  20  the  Hebrew  has  only 
"the  top  of  Pisgah,"  without  the  preposition.  The  LXX.  translates  "  border- 
ing on,"  which  may  be  better  than  to  supply  "to."  If  "'  top  "  (literally  "head") 
here  means  peak,  "  the  top  of  Pisgah  "  would  be  an  extraordinary  place  for 
Israel  to  encamp,  moreover  the  preceding  clause  expressly  states  that  they 
were  "  in  the  valley  "  and  in  xxiii.  M,i.  28  we  find  this  very  spot  occupied  by 
Balak  and  Balaam  who  are  looking  down  ujiion  the  camp  of  Israel.  Possibly 
Pisgah  may  be  used  of  the  entire  plateau  ;  but  the  situation  in  vs.  igf.  is  the  same 
as  that  already  reached  in  vv.  I3ff.  and  alsn  that  of  ,\xiii.  28  ;  x.\iv.  i  ;  certainly 
not  that  of  E,  vs.  23. 

*  The  reading  of  LXX  "  fazer  "  for  rrc  "strong,"  is  to  be  preferred.  The 
strength  of  Ammon's  border  would  scarcely  lie  given  as  a  reason  for 
Israel's  halting  there.  Jazer  is  here  one  of  the  cities  taken,  cf.  xxxii.  3.  Vv. 
24b,  25  come  after  vs.  32;  see  .Xnalysis. 

t  Vs.  26  seems  to  be  of  an  explanatory  character  and  aims  to  connect  vs.  25 
with  27ff.  See  Meyer  Z.  A.  IV.  'Si  for  the  evidence  against  its  genuineness. 
E  cannot  have  written  "the  former  (?)  king  of  Moab";  ct.  xxii.  2,  4. —  Instead 
of  "  out  of  his  hand,"  for  which  LXX  have  "  from  Aroer,"  we  should  doubtless 
read  "from  Jabbok";  cf.  vs.  24a. 


XXII.  I.        THE  CIRCUIT  OF  EDOM  AND  MOAB.  217 

Come  ye  to  Heshbon, 

Let  the  city  of  Sihon  be  built  and  established  : 

For  a  fire  is  gone  out  of  Heshbon,  28 

A  flame  from  the  city  of  Sihon  : 

It  hath  devoured  Ar  of  Moab, 

The  24lords  of  the  high  places  of  Arnon. 

Woe  to  thee,  Moab  !  29 

Thou  art  undone,  O  people  of  Chemosh  : 

He  hath  given  his  sons  as  fugitives, 

And  his  daughters  into  captivity, 
(Rje)    Unto  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites.* 

(E)     We  have  shot  at  them  ;  Heshbon  is  perished  even  unto  30 
Dibon, 

And  we  have  laid  waste  even  unto  Nophah, 

Which  [reacheth]  unto  Medeba.f 
(J)  'i'hus  ■-''Israel  dwelt  in  the  land  of  the  Amorites.    '-'^Alld  31-32 
Moses    sent  to  spy  out    Jazer,  and  they  took    the 
2"toAvns  thereof,  and  ^^di-ove  out  the  Amorites  that 

(  Rd)    were  there.      •^A.nd  they  turned  and  went  up  by  the  way  of  Ba-  t^t, 
shan  :  and  Og  the  king  of  Bashan  went  out    against  them,  he    and  all   his 
people,  to  battle  at  Ediei.     And    Yahweh   said   unto  Moses,  Fear  him  not:  -^^ 
for  I  have  delivered  liim  into  thy  hand,  and   all  his  people,  and    his  land ; 
and  thou  shalt  do  to  him  as  thou  didst    unto  Sihon  king  of   the  Amorites, 
which  dwelt  at  Heslibon.l     So    they  smote  him,  and  his    sons,  and  all  his  35 
people,  until   there  was  none  left    him    remaining  :  and   they  possessed   his 
(^P)  land.     '^Aiid  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed,  and  pitched  in  2*2 
the  plains  of  Aloab  beyond  the  Jordan  at  Jericho. 

24Ex.  21  :  3  and  refs.  ^^jos.  24  :  15.  '"Jud.  i  :  23.  27v.s.  25  and  refs.  ^^jj  •  3^,  2i»Dt. 
3  :  1-3.     '21  ;  lof. 

*  An  explanatory  gloss  unsupported  by  the  metre  and  parallelism. 

t  The  text  of  vs.  30b  is  certainly  corrupt.  Meyer  emends  and  translates  : 
"  Their  seed  is  perished  from  Heshbon  unto  Dibon.  Their  women  have  set 
fire  unto  Medeba."  So  substantially  the  LXX.  Dillmann  translates  "  And  we 
have  laid  waste  till  the  fire  hath  kindled  unto  Medeba." 

I  Vv.  33-35  seem  to  be  added  by  way  of  supj^lementation  from  Dt.  iii.  1-3 
The  addition  mav,  however,  have  been  first  made  to  E. 


218  yL'M/U-:RS. 

2.     Chh.  xxii-xxiv.     Thk  Oracle  of  Balaam. 

AiVALVS/S. 

Moab,  jealous  of  Israel's  greatness,  sends  to  Pethor  on  the  Euphrates 
for  Balaam  the  seer,  to  come  and  curse  the  people.  Balaam  by  divine 
instruction  refuses  to  go.  Balak,  king  of  Moab,  sends  a  second,  more 
honorable  embassy.  Balaam  again  \vaits  for  divine  instruction,  and  is 
bidden  to  go.  taking  care  to  give  none  but  the  message  God  shall  give 
him ;  xxii.  2-21.  On  the  way  he  is  met  by  the  angel  of  Yahweh,  who  is 
angry  because  he  went  and  would  have  slain  him  but  for  the  intelligence 
of  the  soothsayer's  ass.  Balaam  offers  to  return,  but  is  bidden  by  the 
angel  to  continue  his  journey,  taking  care  to  speak  only  the  word  that 
Yahweh  shall  speak  unto  him  ;  22-35.  Arrived  in  Moab  he  declares  to 
Balak  the  condition  imposed  upon  him  ;  36-40.  In  the  sequel  he  acts 
accordingly.  Three  times  Balak  attempts,  after  suitable  preparations,  to 
obtain  an  effectual  cur.se  from  Balaam  against  Israel.  First  on  the 
height  of  Bamoth-baal,  from  whence  the  extremity  of  Israel  can  be  seen, 
then  from  the  more  northerly  peak  of  Pisgah,  whence  a  part  of  the  camp 
is  visible,  finally  on  the  peak  of  Peor,  whence  Israel  is  seen  encamped 
according  to  its  tribes.  Each  attempt  brings  only  increasing  blessing 
instead  of  curse,  till  Balak  in  rage  dismisses  the  seer;  xxiii.  i-xxiv.  10. 
Balaam  reminds  Balak  of  the  conditions  imposed,  adds  a  further,  unsoli- 
cited prophecy,  and  returns  home  ;   11-25. 

With  the  exception  of  certain  difficulties  in  ch.  xxii.,  this  story  of  the 
Oracle  of  Balaam  seems  fairly  self-consistent  and  agrees  well  with  the 
representation  of  the  preceding  chapter.  Israel  is  seen  occupying  the 
territory  won  by  Sihon  from  Moab,  and  subsequently  reconquered  by 
Moses,  but  carefully  respectmg  the  territorial  rights  of  its  kindred,  Edom, 
Moab  and  Amnion.  Moab  thereupon  secretly  conspires  against  the 
unwelcome  intruders  by  witchcraft  (xxiii.  23)  ;  but  God  turns  the  curse 
into  a  blessing.  That  this  was  the  representation  of  E  is  placed  beyond 
question  by  the  reference  to  it  in  Jos.  .xxiv.  yf..  confirmed  by  Dt.  xxiii.  5f. ; 
Jud.  xi.  25  ;   Mic.  vi.  5ff. 

But  another  representation  coexists  with  this,  which  no  harmonist 
can  bring  into  anything  more  than  the  semblance  of  agreement  with  it. 
According  to  the  story  of  xxv.  6  18  ;  xxxi.  8  16.  confirmed  by  Jos.  xiii. 
2if.,  Balaam  was  not  a  prophet  of  Yahweh  from  Pethor  on  the  Euphra- 
tes, who  came  at  Balak's  solicitation  to  curse  Israel,  received  command- 
ment to  bless,  and,  when  he  had  obeyed  it,  "  rose  up,  and  went  and 
rdurned  to  his  place  "  (xxiv.  25)  :  but  was  a  Midiauite,  who  with  the 


THE  ORACLE  OE  BALAAM.  219 

five  princes  of  Midian  conspired  against  Israel  fo  corrupt  them  by  their 
women  and  zuas  slain  together  with  these  princes,  in  the  war  of  extermi- 
nation which  Israel  undertook  against  Midian.  There  is  no  difficulty 
or  possibility  of  doubt  in  assigning  this  latter  representation  to  the 
priestly  document.  It  stands  quite  apart  from  JE,  and  shows  in  every 
line  its  thoroughly  priestly  character,  so  that  argument  is  superfluous. 
The  only  question  must  be  whence  this  radically  different  tradition  of 
Balaam  was  derived  by  P'^.  This  writer  could  not  indeed  tolerate  in  his 
rigidly  exclusive,  hierocratic  system  such  a  character  as  Balaam  in 
genuine  intercourse  with  Yahweh,  sacrificing,  and  receiving  in  return  true 
oracles ;  but  in  previous  cases  where  his  sources  presented  obnoxious 
material  his  method  has  been  simply  to  omit.  Elaboration  of  material 
germane  to  his  subject  is  the  delight  of  the  priestly  writer ;  but  we  have 
no  reason  to  suspect  him  anywhere  of  the  creation  of  such  material.  As 
in  many  previous  instances  we  must  look  for  the  traces  of  this  original 
material  developed  by  P-^  and  ?•*  in  the  traces  of  J,  which  are  not  wanting 
even  in  the  splendid  legend  of  chh.  xxii-xxiv.,  the  main  source  of  which 
we  have  seen  reason  to  regard  as  E. 

The  independent  indications  of  a  double  source  in  these  chh.  are  in 
fact  conclusive.  In  xxii.  2-4,  vs.  2  =  vs.  4b,  and  3a  and  3b  are  also 
doublets.  Moreover  there  is  a  difference  in  the  use  of  the  divine  names 
which  cannot  be  explained  on  grounds  of  sense.  True  we  have  every- 
where save  in  xxii.  38  "  Yahweh  "  in  the  mouth  of  Balaam  (with  some 
variation  in  the  versions  e.  g.  LXX.  in  vs.  13) ;  but  it  is  probable  (see  note 
on  xxiii.  5)  that  this  is  an  intentional  alteration  of  R,  to  indicate  that  the 
oracle  comes  in  reality  from  Yahweh  and  no  other.  Balak  also  of  course 
conforms  to  this  in  conversation  with  Balaam.  But  that  the  author  him- 
self should  use  Elohini,  xxii.  8-22a  is  inexplicable  save  as  a  source 
peculiarity,  marked  throughout  the  Hexateuch ;  accordingly  vv.  gf.,  1 2, 
20,  22a;  xxiii.  4,  which  use  invariably  "  iT^/z/w,"  in  contrast  with  xxii. 
22b-35  ;  xxiii.  5 — xxiv.  14  (exc.  xxiv.  2)  where  "  Yahweh  "  is  uniformly 
employed,  must,  with  their  connected  context,  be  attributed  to  E.  The 
references  will  show  that  this  principal  linguistic  difference  is  accom- 
panied by  the  use  of  other  expressions  characteristic  respectively  of  the 
two  writers. 

We  have  already  referred  to  certain  sense-incompatibilities  in  chh. 
xxii.  It  is  of  prime  importance  to  observe  whether  the  discrimination 
according  to  sense  coincides  with  that  indicated  by  linguistic  peculiarities. 
In  vv.  7b-2i  we  have  /;/  tlie  autlior's  own  luords  "Elohini."  In  22b- 
35  "  Yahweh."  In  the  latter  passage  not  only  is  no  notice  taken  of  the 
former,  but  it  is  contradicted  in  a  manner  past  all  reasonable  reconcilia- 


220  NUMBERS. 

tion.  In  the  former  Balaam  appears  above  reproach  as  the  inflexible 
servant  of  God,  following  the  divine  command  to  the  letter.  In  vs.  21  he 
departs  "with  the  princes,  of  Aloab"  because  expressly  coiiunanded  of 
"  God"  to  do  so.  In  the  latter  passage,  it  appears  that  he  has  incurred 
the  afi^er  of  "  Yahiveh  "  by  going,  "  Yahweh's  "  angel  standing  in  the 
way  to  slay  him.  Moreover  he  is  not  accompanied  by  "  the  princes  of 
Moab  "  but  by  "  two  servants."  It  is  further  well  worthy  of  notice  that 
the  circumstances  of  the  journey  are  quite  different  from  what  they  ■ 
would  be  if  Balaam  were  coming  from  Pethor  on  the  Euphrates, 
(vs.  5  ;  xxiii.  7).  Such  a  journey  is  not  made  in  the  East  on  ass's  back 
with  two  servants.  It  is  a  caravan  or  (ra/z/^Z-journey  (cf.  Gen.  xxiv.), 
and  moreover  one  does  not  ride  "  between  the  vineyards,  a  fence  being 
on  this  side,  and  a  fence  on  that  side,"  unless  at  the  very  end  of  the 
journey.  The  author  of  this  passage  has  different  conceptions  before  his 
mind  from  those  of  the  preceding  and  following  context.  Finally  the 
conclusion,  vs.  35,  simply  resumes  vs.  2of.  at  the  point  of  interruption. 
The  singular  story  of  the  speaking  ass  has  but  one  parallel  in  Hebrew 
literature  viz.  :  Gen.  iii.  iff.  (J)  ;  and  on  the  other  hand  the  coming  of 
"  (iod  "  to  the  prophet  at  night  vv.  8ff.,  is  a  striking  characteristic  of  E 
(see  refs.).  Hence  we  cannot  go  astray  in  assigning  in  general  the  for- 
mer passage  to  E  and  the  latter  to  J. 

In  the  oracles  which  follow  in  chh.  xxiiif.  we  have  at  the  beginning  a 
decisive  correspondence  with  E's  point  of  view :  "  From  Aram  hath 
Balak 'brought  me  ;  the  king  of  Moab  from  the  mountains  of  the  East." 
On  the  other  hand  ch.  xxiv.  can  hardly  be  derived  from  the  same  source. 
Balaam's  introduction  of  himself  by  name  would  come  necessarily  at  the 
beginning  in  a  uniform  narrative,  and  not  after  two  oracles  have  already 
been  pronounced,  as  a  preface  to  the  third  and  fourth  only.  Moreover 
the  third  oracle  repeats  verbatim  a  part  of  the  second  (cf.  xxiv.  8  with 
xxiii.  22)  ;  Balak  has  got  through  with  Balaam  already  in  xxiii.  25,  and 
will  have  him  utter  neither  curse  nor  blessing,  yet  in  vs.  27  already  he 
has  changed  his  mind.  There  are  also  unmistakable  indications  in  xxiii. 
27ff.  (see  note  ///  loc.)  of  alteration  by  Rje  looking  to  the  appending  of 
ch.  xxiv. 

iiut  it  is  not  enougli  to  have  established  the  main  hues  of  division 
between  J  and  E.  Indications  of  duplication  were  observed  in  xxii.  2-4, 
and  we  have  now  to  notice  further  the  curious  introduction  of  "  the 
elders  of  Midian  "  in  vv,  4  and  7,  only  to  disapj^ear  entirely  in  the  sequel. 
Again  it  is  almost  certain  that  in  vs.  5,  in  place  of  the  tautological  "  to 
the  land  of  the  children  of  his  people  "  {ammo),  we  should  read,  with 
LXX.  Sam.  Svr.  \'ulg.   and   some   Hebrew  MSS.,  "  to  the  land   of  the 


THE  ORACLE  OF  BALAAM.  221 

children  of  Aininon."  It  is  easy  lo  see  how,  to  avoid  the  contradiction 
with  the  preceding-  clause,  Amnion  should  be  changed  to  ammo ;  but  the 
reverse  process  would  be  inexplicable.  Now  if  Amnion  was  the  home 
of  Balaam  according  to  5a/^,  this  agrees  with  J  in  vv.  22ff.,  and  if  in  this 
account  "  the  elders  of  Midian  "  conspired  with  Balak,  and  Balaam  went 
from  among  "  the  children  of  Amnion  "  with  evil  intent  (vs.  32^  against 
Israel,  we  may  perhaps  have  a  clew  to  that  prbblematic  source  of  the 
priestly  Balaam-story.  Two  passages  remain  from  which  some  further 
light  can  be  drawn.  The  first,  in  Gen.  xxxvi.  35  (J),  merely  informs  us 
that  this  author  knew  of  a  branch  of  Midianite  stock  anciently  estab- 
lished "  in  the  field  of  Moah  ;  "  cf.  xxi.  20.  The  second,  in  Jos.  xiii.  16- 
22,  forms  part  of  a  chapter  of  singular  complexity,  but  which  certainly 
includes  traces  of  J.  In  vv.  i^^.  reference  is  made  to '•  Sihon  king  of 
the  Amorites,  which  reigned  in  Heshbon,  whom  Moses  smote  with  the 
chiefs  of  Midian,  Evi  and  Rekem  and  Zur  and  Hur  and  Reba,  the  prin- 
ces of  Sihon  (!)  that  dwelt  in  the  land.  Balaam  also  the  son  of  Beor,  the 
soothsayer  did  the  children  of  Israel  slay  with  the  sword  among  the  rest 
of  their  slain."  This  singular  mixture  of  data  from  JE  and  P  seems 
hardly  explicable  if  the  stories  of  the  war  with  Sihon  and  that  with  Mid- 
ian were  no  more  confused  than  in  Nu.  xxi.  and  xxxi.  as  we  know  them. 
It  seems  to  point  to  some  basis  in  J  for  P's  story  of  Balaam  and  the  war 
with  Midian,  connected  perhaps  with  x.w.  1-5.  More  we  can  hardly  sug- 
gest with  caution. 

We  have  now  the  necessary  data  for  attempting  a  disentanglement  in 
detail  of  the  two  sources  in  ch.  xxii.  J,  like  E,  represents  Israel  as  in 
peaceful  relations  with  Moab,  encamped  in  Moabite  and  Midianite  terri- 
tory, but  having  made  conquest  of  Amorite  territory  between  Moab  and 
Amnion.  Resident  among  the  latter  people  is  Balaam  the  son  of  Beor 
(cf.  Gen.  xxxvi.  32  "  Bela  the  son  of  Beor  ")  perhaps  a  Midianite,  in  any 
case  a  prophet  (or  soothsayer)  of  Yahweh  (cf.  vs.  18,  "  Yahweli  my 
God").*  He  becomes  through  avarice  party  to  the  conspiracy- of  Balak 
with  the  elders  of  Midian,  but  on  the  way  to  curse  Israel  is  met  by  the 
angel  of  Yahweh  who  conies  intending  to  slay  Balaam,  but  suffers  him 
to  proceed  on  condition  of  uttering  none  but  the  message  given  him.  It 
is  apparent,  however,  from  xxiv.  13  (J,  as  above  indicated;  see  also  refs.) 

*  It  is  iiotevvoitliv  111  this  connection  that  Moses  according  to  this  oldest  doc- 
iiiiu  lit  brings  the  elements  of  the  great  Vahwistic  revival  to  Kgypt  with  him 
'•  from  the  land  of  Midian  "  and  from  the  household  of  "  the  priest  of  Midian, 
the  same  tribe  wlio  here,  in  conspiracy  with  Moab  call  a  prophet  of  K?//7«v// 
to  curse  Israel.  In  M  also  Jethro  becomes  a  convert  to  Yahwism,  Ex.  xviii. 
II.      Was  Yahweh  wmshipped  in  Midian  also  ? 


222  A  UMBERS.  XXII.  2. 

that  Balaam,  while  consenting  to  go  for  money,  had  even  at  the  begin- 
ning answered  Balak's  "messengers,"  "if  Balak  would  give  me  his 
house  full  of  silver  and  gold  I  cannot  go  beyond  the  word  of  Yahweh." 
The  passage  xxiv.  11 -14  thus  not  only  presupposes  in  J  an  account  of 
Balak's  sending  for  Balaam,  as  in  xxii.  2ff. .  but  specifically  requires  us  by 
its  back-references  to  assign  xxii.  ijl.,  wliich  verbally  correspond  to  it, 
to  J.  In  addition  vv.  3b  (see  refs.),  4a,  which  introduce  the  "  elders  of 
Midian"  and  give  a  somewhat  different  motive  for  Moab's  hostility,  4b 
(=  vs.  2],  parts  of  vv.  5  and  6  (?),  (see  refs.,  and  note  in  loc.)  yab,  and  vs. 
39,  which  changes  the  geographical  location  after  the  most  favorable 
position,  from  E's  point  of  view,  has  already  been  reached  in  vs.  36.  may 
all  be  assigned  to  J. 

With  the  extrication  of  these  fragments  there  remains  a  consistent 
and  uniform  narrative  of  E.  Balaam,  an  incorruptible  and  obedient 
prophet  of  Yahweh,  from  Pethor  on  the  Euphrates,  who  goes  to  Balak 
by  express  divine  command,  stands  with  him  on  the  extreme  northern 
boundary  of  Moab  (vs.  36)  whence  they  ascend  to  a  peak  overlooking 
part  of  Israel's  camp  ;  there  Balaam,  after  sacrifice,  pronounces  two  bles- 
sings. 

The  minor  touches  of  the  redaction  will  be  discussed  in  the  notes. 


2  (E)     And   Balak    the   son  of   Zipper  *  saw  all  that  Israel 

3  had  'Mone  to  the  Amorites,  And  Moab  was  sore  afraid  of 
(J)  the  people,  because  they  were  many  :  and  Moal)  ^was 

4  distressed  because  of  the  children  of  Israel.  And 
Moab  said  unto  the  elders  of  Midian^  Now  shall  this 
multitude  lick  up  all  that  is  round  about  us,  as  the  ox 
licketh  up  the  grass  of  the  field.  And  Balak,  the  son 
of  Zippor  was  king-  of  Moab  at  that  time.     [....] 

5  (E)  And  he  sent  niessengers  unto  Balaam,  the  son  of  Beor, 
(J)  to ''Pethor,  which  is  by  the  River,  to  the  land  of  the 
(E)  children  of  his  people,  [  .  .  .  ]  f  to  call  him,  saying, 
liehold,  there  is   a  people   come   out   from   Egypt  :  behold, 

■^2,  :2iff.     3R.\.  I  :  !.■.     "i-,,  :  7. 

*  Unless  Balak  had  been  previously  mentioned  as  king  of  Moab,  which  is 
quite  probable  (cf.  Dt.  ii.  9,  29  and  Jud.  xi.  17),  we  should  supply  here  "  king 
of  Moab"  as  in  vs.  10. 

I    Read  "    children  of  Amnion."     Sec  .Xnalysis. 


XXll.  i8.  THE  ORACLE  OE  BALAAAL  223 

■^they    cover    the   face  of   the   earth,  and  •'they    abide  over 
against  me  :  come  now  therefore,  1  pray  thee,  curse  me  this    6 
people  ;  for   they   are   too   mighty   for  me  :  peradventure  I 
shall  prevail,  that  we  may  smite  them,  and  that  I  may  drive 
them  out  of  the  land  :  for  I  know  that  he  whom  thou  bless- 
(J)  est  is  blessed,  and  he  whom  thou  cursest  is  cursed.  *    And     7 
the  elders  of  Moab  and  the  elders  of  Midian  departed    7 
with  the  rewards  of  "divination  in  their  hand  :  [  •  •  •  ] 
(E)  and  they   came   unto   Balaam,  and    spake  unto  him  the 
words  of   Balak.     And   he  said  unto  them,  T.odge  here  this    8 
night,  and   I    will   bring   you  word   again,  as  Yahweh  shall 
speak  unto  me  :  and  the  princes  of  Moab  abode  with  Balaam. 
And  ^God  came  unto  Balaam,  and  said.  What  men  are  these    9 
with  thee  ?     And  Balaam   said  unto  (iod,  "Balak  the  son  of  10 
Zippor,  king  of  Moab,  hath  sent    unto  me,  [saying,]  Behold,  11 
the  people  that  is  come  out  of  Egypt,  it  covereth  the  face  of 
the  earth  :  now,  come  curse  me  them  ;  peradventure  I  shall 
be   able   to   fight   against   them,   and  shall   drive   them  out. 
And  God  said  unto  Balaam,  Thou  shalt  not  go  with  them  ;  12 
thou  shalt  not  curse  the  people  :  for  they  are  blessed.     And  13 
Balaam  rose  up  in  the  morning,  and  said  unto  the  princes  of 
Balak,  Get    you    into   your  land  :  for    Yahweh  ^"refuseth    to 
give  me  leave  to  go   with  you.     And    the   princes  of   Moab  14 
rose  up,  and  they  went  unto  Balak,  and  said,  Balaam  refuseth 
to  come  with  us.     And   Balak  sent  yet  again  princes,  more,  15 
and  more  honorable  than  they.     And  they  came  to  Balaam,  16 
and  said  to   him.  Thus   saith   Balak   the  son   of  Zippor,  Let 
nothing,    I   pray  thee,   hinder    thee    from  coming    unto  me 
(J)  [  ••     ]  for  "I  will  promote  thee    nnto  very  great  17 
honor,  and  whatsoever  thon  sayest  unto  me  I  will 
do :  come  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  curse  me  this  peo- 
ple.   And  Balaam  answered   and  said  unto  the  ser-  18 

^Ex.  10:5,  15.      «Gen.    25:tS.     '0611.44:5.      sGen.  20  :  3  ;  31  :  24.      'Vv,  2,  sf.      "Ex. 

3  :  19  :  Nu.  20  :  21  ;  21  :  23.      "(Vs.  37)  ;  24  :  11. 

*  The  message  of  Balak  in  vv.  5f.  is  perhaps  expanded  by  means  of  material 
taken  from  J  (see  refs.)  ;  the  style  seems  redundant  and  in  vs.  11  the  report  is 
simpler. 


224  NUMBERS.  XXII.  19. 

vants  of  Balak,  If  Balak  would  give  me  his  house  full 
of  silver  and  gold,  I  cannot  ^'go  beyond  the  word  of 

19  (E)  Yahweh  my  Ood,  to  do  less  or  more.  Now  there- 
fore, I  pray  you,  tarry  ye  also  here    this  night,    that  I    may 

20  know  what  Yahweh  will  speak  unto  me  more.  i3.\q(J  Cod 
came  unto  Balaam  at  night,  and  said  unto  him,  If  the  men 
be  come  to  call  thee,  rise  up,  "go    with    them  ;   but  only  the 

21  word  which  1  speak  unto  thee,  that  shalt  thou  do.  And 
Balaam    rose    up    in    the   morning,  ^^and  saddled  his  ass, 

22  (J)  and  went  with  the  princes  of  Moab.      And  God's  *  anger 

was  kindled  because  he  went:  and  '"the  angel  of  Yah- 
weh placed  himself  in  the  way  for  an  adversary 
against  him.    Now  he  was  riding  upon  his  ass,  and 

23  his  two  servants  were  Avith  him.  And  the  ass  saw 
the  angel  of  Yahweh  standing  in  the  way, 'with  his 
sword  drawn  in  his  hand  :  and  tlie  ass  turned  aside 
out  of  the  way,  and  went  into  the  field  :  and  Balaam 

24  smote  the  ass,  to  turn  her  into  the  way.  Then  the 
angel  of  Yahweh  stood  in  a  hollow  way  between  the 
vineyards,  a  fence  being  on  this  side,  and  a  fence  on 

25  that  side.  And  the  ass  saw  the  angel  of  Yahweh,  and 
she  thrnst  herself  unto  the  wall,  and  crushed  Ba- 
laam's foot  airainst  the  wall :  and  he  smote  her  again. 

26  And  the  angel  of  Yahweh  went  further,  and  stood  in 
a  narr«>w  place,  where  was  no  way  to  turn  either  to 

27  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.  And  the  ass  saw  the 
angel  (jf  Vahweh,  and  she  lay  down  nnder  Balaam  : 
and   IJalaani's  anger  was  kindled,  and  he  smote  the 

2.S  ass  with  his  staff.  Antl  Yahweh  opeiMMl  the  mouth 
of  the  ass,  and  ''she  said  wwii)  Balaam,  >Vhat  have  I 
done    unto  tln'e,  that   thou  hast  smitten    me  these 

29  three  times.'  And  Balaam  said  unto  tlie  ass.  Be- 
cause thon  hast  mocked  me:  I    would    there  were   a 

^o  sw4»rd  in  mv  liaiul,  for  n<»w   I  had  killed    thee.      Anil 


'•■'04:40.    i-k;.,!.  .. 
Ex.  .,  :  ....     'U^'s.  5  : 


Valnvcli." 


XXII.  38.  THE  ORACLE  OE  BALAAM,  225 

the  ass  said  unto  Balaam^  Am  not  I  thine  ass,  upon 
which  thou  hast  ridden  all  thy  life  long  unto  this 
day?  was  I  ever  wont  to  do  so  unto  thee?    And  he 
said,  Nay.     Then  Yahweh  '^opened  the  eyes  of  Ba-  31 
laam,  and  he  saw  the  angel  of  Yahweh  standing  in 
the  way,  with  his  sword    drawn  in   his  hand:    and 
"he  bowed  his  head  and  fell  upon  his  face.    And  the  32 
angel  of  Yahweh  said  unto  him.  Wherefore  hast  thou 
smitten  thine  ass  these  three  times  i  behold,  1  am  , 
come  forth  for  an  adversary,  because  thy  way  is  per- 
verse before  me ;  and  the   'ass    saAV  me,  and  turned  33 
aside  before  me  these  three  times :     unless  she  had 
turned  aside  from  me,  surely  now  I  had  even  slain 
thee,  and  saved  her  alive.    And  Balaam  said  unto  the  34 
angel  of  Y^ahweh,  I  have  sinned  ;  for  I  knew  not  that 
thou  stoodest  in  the  way  against  me  :  now  therefore, 
if    it  -^displease  thee,   I  will  get    me    back    again. 
And  the  angel  of  Yahweh  said    unto    Balaam,    Go  35 
(Rje)  (J)  with  the  men:  but  ouly  the   word  that  I  shall 
speak  unto  thee,  that  thou  shalt  speak.     So  Balaam 

(E)      AVent    with   the    Diinc-s   of    Halak.*       And      when      Halak  36 
heard    that    Balaam    was    come,  he    went    out   to   meet  him, 
-^imto    the  City    of    .\roab,  which   is  on  the  border  of  Arnon, 
which  is  in  the  utmost  part  of  the   border.     And    Balak    said  37 
unto    Balaam,  Did    I    not    earnestly  send    unto  thee    to  call 
tliee?       wherefore    earnest    thou    not   unto    me?     '^am  I  not 

(E)     able    indeed  to  promote    thee  to  honor?!       And     Balaam     said  38 
unto    Balak,    Lo,    I    am   come   unto   thee  :   have    I    now   any 
power  at  all  to  speak  anything  ?  *the  word  that  God  putteth 

'■'Gen.  3  :  7  :  (ji  :  19)  ;  ch.  :!4  :  1.  -"Gen.  24  :  26,  48  ;  43  :  28  ;  Ex.  4  :  ^t  etc.  -'Kx.  33  : 
20  ;  Gen.  19:19:29:32.  -=Gen.  31  :  42  ;  43  :  10;  14:40.  '■^Sn  :  10.  2420:16:21:15. 
=■'■'13  :  30;  24:  II.    262j.5_i2.    ■•22:41. 

*  Vs.  35  resumes  w.  2of.  and  .seems  to  have  lieen  worked  over  in  the  clnuses 
indicated,  since  "  the  men  "  and  "  the  princes  of  Balak  "  have  no  place  in  the 
preceding  context;  but  Wellhausen's  conjecture  of  a  return  of  Balaam  to  his 
own  country  is  improbable. 

t  The  clause  37c  must  either  be  from  Rje  or  else  indicates  the  i^resencc  of 
J  material  in  this  connection  ;  see  refs. 


226  ALMBERS.  XXI 1.  3y. 

39  (J)  in  my  mouth,  that  shall  I  speak.  [  ,  .  .  ]  And  Balaam 
went  with  Balak,  and  they  came    unto  Kiriath-liu 

40  (E)  zoth.     And  Balak   sacrificed  oxen  and  sheep,  and  sent 

41  to  Balaam,  and  to  the  princes  that  were  with  him.  And  it 
came  to  pass  in  the  morning,  that  Balak  took  Balaam,  and 
brought    him   up   into  the   high   places   of  Baal,  and  he  saw 

23  from  thence  the  utmost  part  of  the  people.  And  Balaam 
said  unto  Balak,  Build  me  here  seven  altars,  and  prepare  me 

2  here  seven  bullocks  and  seven  rams.  And  Balak  did  as 
(E)    Balaam    had     spoken  :     and    Halak  and  Balaam    offered 

3  on  every  altar  a  bullock  and  a  ram.  And  l^alaam  said  unto 
Balak,  Stand  by  thy  burnt  offering,  and  I  will  go  ;  perad- 
venture  Yahweh  will  come  to  meet  me  :  and  whatsoever  he 
sheweth  me  1  will  tell  thee.     And  he  went  to  a  bare  height. 

4  ^And  God  met  Balaam — and  he  said  unto  him,  I  have  pre- 
pared the  seven  altars,  and  I  have  offered  up   a  bullock  and 

5  (E)  a  ram  on  every  altar. — *  And  Yahweh  2put  a  word 
in  Balaam's  mouth,  and  said.  Return  unto   Balak,   and  thus 

6  thou  shalt  speak.  And  he  returned  unto  him,  and,  lo,  he 
stood  by  his  burnt  offering,  he,  and  all  the  princes   of  Moab 

7  And  he  took  up  his  parable,  and  said, 

From  ^Aram  hath  Balak  brought  me. 

The  king  of  Moab  from  the  mountains  of  the  East  : 

Come,  curse  me  Jacob, 

And  come,  defy  Israel. 

8  How  shall  I  curse,  whom  God  hath  not  cursed  ? 

And  how  shall  I  defy,  whom  Yahweh  hath  not  defied  ? 

9  For  "from  the  top  of  the  rocks  1  see  him, 
iVs.  t6.    2,2  .  ^8.     Soo  :  5. 

*  The  cli.splacement  of  v.s.  4  is  very  obvious.  Where  it  now  stands  it  is  in 
the  highest  degree  unsuitable.  It  is  hard  to  see  on  the  other  hand  how  it 
could  have  been  removed  from  after  vs.  2,  where  it  really  belongs.  Its  resto. 
ration  shows  "  Balak  and  ISalaam  "  in  vs.  2b  to  be  an  incorrect  supplying  of 
the  subject  of  the  verb,  which  is  simply  "  he."  The  same  phenomenon  of  a 
subject  wrongly  supplied  is  revealed  in  vs.  5a,  where  we  have  simply  to  strike 
out  "  Yahweh  "  in  .the  same  way  as  "  Balak  and  Balaam  "  m  vs.  2.  The  use 
of  the  divine  names  will  then  be  found  to  correspond  to  the  iiractisc  described 
above.     (.Analysis,  p.  219). 


XXIII.  i6.  THE  ORACLE  OF  BALAAM.  227 

And  from  the  hills  I  behold  him  : 

Lo,  it  is  a  people  that  dwell  alone, 

And  shall  not  be  reckoned  among  the  nations. 

Who  can  count  the  dust  of  Jacob,  lo 

Or  number  the  fourth  part  of  Israel  ? 

Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous. 

And  let  my  last  end  be  like  his  ! 
And   Balak   said    unto  Balaam,  What   hast    thou   done  unto  i  t 
me  ?     I  took  thee  to  curse  mine  enemies,  and,  behold,  thou 
hast  blessed  them  altogether.     ^And  he  answered  and  said,  12 
Must  I  not   take  heed  to  speak  that  which  Yahweh  putteth 
in   my   mouth  ?     And   Balak  said  unto   him,    Come,   I  pray  13 
thee,  with  me  unto  another  place,  from  which  thou   mayest 
(Rje)  see  them  :    thou  shalt  see  but  the  utmost  part  of  them,  and  shalt 
not  see  them  all  :  *  and  curse  me  them  from  thence.     And  he  14 
took  him  into  the  field  of  Zophim,  to  "^the  top  of  Pisgah,  and 
built  seven  altars,  and  offered   up  a   bullock  and   a  ram  on 
every  altar.     And  he  said  unto  Balak,    Stand   here   by   thy     15 
burnt    offering,    while    I    meet    [Yahweh]  yonder.       '^And     16 
(E)     Yahweh    f    met     Balaam,     and     put    a     word   in    his 

*22  :  38  ;  cf.  24  :  i2f.     ^Cf.  vs.  28  and  21  :  20.     'Vs.  5. 

*  The  middle  clause  of  vs.  13  is  clearly  due  to  Rje,  as  it  is  in  irreconcilable 
contradiction  with  the  context.  Balak's  first  thought  is  (xxii.  41)  that  if 
Balaam  sees  only  "  the  utmost  part  of  Israel  "  his  task  will  be  lighter.  It  is 
because  this  proves  unsuccessful  that  he  leads  him,  in  vs.  13,  to  a  more  com- 
manding position,  "the  field  of  the  watchers  {Zophim)  on  the  top  of  Pisgah," 
vs.  14,  "  a  place  from  whence  he  might  see  them  all."  So  the  original.  But 
Rje  wishes  to  incorporate  also  the  two  Balaam  oracles  of  J,  the  scene  of 
which  (xxiii.  28  ;  xxiv.  i  ;  cf.  xxi.  20)  is  "the  top  of  Pisgah  that  looketh  down 
upon  Jeshimon  "  (the  desert  north-easT  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea),  and  as  a 
change  of  place  is  necessary,  after  the  example  of  vs.  13,  in  vs.  28  also,  two 
alterations  become  necessary :  a,  Pisgah  in  vs.  28  must  be  altered  (cf.  xxi.  20) 
to  Peor,  a  name  not  elsewhere  employed  of  the  peak,  in  order  not  to  conflict 
with  vs.  14,  which  really  represents  identically  the  same  spot  as  vs.  28  ;  h,  the 
sight  of  the  whole  camp  of  Israel  must  be  reserved  for  the  third  and  final 
point  of  outlook.     Hence  the  contradictory  addition  in  vs.  13. 

t  The  LXX  have  "  God"  ;  (cf.  vs.  4)  but  the  variations  of  the  versions  and 
texts  seem  to  be  largely  affected  in  chh.  xxiiff.  by  an  uncertainty  as  to  whether 


228  NUMBERS.  XXIII.  17. 

mouth,   and  said,    Return    unto   Balak,   and  thus  shalt  thou 

17  speak.     And  he  came  to  him,   and  lo,  he   stood  by  his  burnt 
offering,    and    the    princes    of    Moab  with   him.     And  Bahik 

18  said  unto  him,   \Vhat   hath    Vahvveh   spoken  ?     And   he   took 
u\)  his  parable,  and  said. 

Rise  up,  Balak,  and  hear  ; 
Marken  unto  me,  thou  son  of  Zippor  ; 
ly       Ciod  is  not  a  man,  that  he  should  lie  ; 

•^Neither  the  son  of  man,  that  he  should  repent  : 

Hath  he  said,  and  shall  he  not  do  it  ? 

Or  hath  he  spoken,  and  shall  he  not  make  it  good  ? 

20  Behold,  I  have  received  [commandment]  to  bless  : 
And  he  *  hath  blessed,  and  1  cannot  reverse  it. 

21  He  hath  not  beheld  iniquity  in  Jacob, 
Neither  hath  he  seen  perverseness  in  Israel  : 
\'ah\veh  his  God  is  with  him, 

'■'And  the  shout  of  a  king  is  among  them. 

22  ( J)— 0()(1  briiigetli  them  forth  out  of  Ei^ypt ; 
He  hath  as  it  were  the  strength  of  the  wild-ox. 

22>     Surely  there  is  no  eiiehaiitnient  with  Jacob. 
Neither  is  there  any  ^divination  with  Israel : 
Now  shall  it  he  said  of  Jacob  and  of  Israel, 
What  hath  God  wrought  !—t 

*Ct.  Gen.  fi  :  6f. ;  E.x.  ?2  :  14.    824  :  81  Dt.  :;■?  :  17.      "'22  :  7  :  Gen.  ;io  :  27  ;  44  :  5. 

Yahweh  in  the  mouth  of  Balak  and  Balaam  wa.s  suitable  or  not.     Hence  great 
reliance  cannot  he  placed  upon  this  criterion. 

*  .Sam.  and  J>XX  have  first  person, and  in  21a,  "is  not  seen." 
t  Vs.  23  is  rejected  by  Dillmann  and  others  on  account  of  its  interruption  of 
the  connection.  It  would  seem  better  to  regard  both  22  and  23  as  derived 
from  x.\iv.  S  (J),  removed  perhaps  on  account  of  xxiv.  i  in  its  present  form. 
Certainly  there  is  no  allusion  whatever  to  enchantment  or  divination  in  ch. 
xxiii.  In  K  the  representation  of  Balaam  throughout  is  of  a  sincere  and  true 
prophet  of  Yahweh,  who  refuses  to  trifle  with  the  divine  word,  but  obeys 
implicitly.  The  contrasted  reiiresenta'ion  of  a  mercenary  sorcerer  compelled 
(xxii.-35)  against  his  will  to  bless,  is  confined  to  J.  The  use  of  Rlohiiit  on  the 
other  hand  is  inconclusive,  as  the  /ccw  employs  Yahweh  and  Klohim  inter- 
changeably. Vs.  22  is  duplicated  in  xxiv.  S,  but  seems  to  be  in  more  original 
form  there  (cf.  "  them,"  vs.  22,  with   vs.  21,  and  with  "  him,"  xxiv.  8,  and  "  he," 


XXIV.  3.  THE  ORACLE  OE  BALAAM.  239 

(E)   Behold,  the  people  riseth  up  as  a  lioness,  24 

And  as  a  lion  doth  he  lift  himself  up  : 

He  shall  not  lie  down  until  he  eat  of  the  prey, 

And  drink  the  blood  of  the  slain. 
And  Balak  said  unto  Balaam,  Neither  curse  them  at  all,  nor  25 
bless   them  at    all.      But   Balaam   answered   and  said   unto  26 
Balak,  "Told  not  I  thee,  saying.  All  that  Yahweh  speaketh, 
(Rje)  that  I  must  do?     [   .    .    .    ]       And    Balak  said    unto    Balaam,  27 
Come  now,  I  will  take  thee  unto  another  place ;  peradventure  it  will  please 
(J)  God   that    thou    mayest  curse  me  them  from  thence.      All(l    Balak   28 

took    Balaam    unto    ''the    top  of  Peor,  that  looketh 

(Rje)   down  upon  the  desert.      '^And    Balaam   said  unto  Balak,  29 
Build  me  here  seven  altars,  and  prepare  me  here  seven  bullocks  and  seven 
rams.     And  Balak  did  as  Balaam  had  said,  and  offered  up  a  bullock  and  a 

(J)  ram  on  every  altar.     Aud  wlien  Balaam  saw  that  it  24 
(Rje)  pleased  Yahweh  to  bless  Israel,  he  went  not,  as 
(J)  at  the  other  times,  *  to  meet  witli  'encliantmeuts,  hut  he 
set  his  face  toward  the  Wilderness.    And  Balaam    2 
lifted  up  his  eyes,  and  he  saw  Israel  dwelling  accord- 
ing to  their  tribes ;  and  the   spirit  of  God  t  came 
upon  him.    And  he  took  up  his  parable,  and  said,         3 
^Balaam  the  son  of  Beor  saith. 
And  the  man  whose  eye  was  closed  saith : 

H22  :  38.  i^ct.  vs.  14 ;  Cf.  21  :  20.  "Vv.  if.  I22  :  27  ;  23  :  23.  221  :  20  ;  23  :  28.  ^Vs, 
15  :  ct.  23:7. 

line  succeeding).     The  duplication  may  have  been  effected  in  process  of  trans- 
fer, or  may  be  original  with  J  and  E. 

*  The  hand  of  Rje  comes  out  very  distinctly  in  the  somewhat  uneven  joint 
between  chh.  xxiii.  and  xxiv.  A  consideration  of  xxiii.  27ff.  will  show  the  ])roc- 
ess  of  connection.  Vs.  27  repeats  vs.  13  with  touches  from  xxii.  6,  but  uses 
"God,"  whereas  Balak  in  vs.  17  says  "Yahweh."  *' Peor  "  for  Pisgah  is  an 
alteration  referred  to  in  the  note  on  vs.  13.  Vv.  29^  repeat  verbatim,  vv.  if. 
(cf.  note  (in  the  original  form  of  vs  2)  whereas  E  himself,  when  relating  the 
sacrifice  the  second  time,  vs.  14,  abbreviates  notably.  Finally  the  clause  "as 
at  the  other  times,"  xxiv.  i,  assumes  a  statement  which  does  not  exist  in  ch. 
xxiii,  and  betrays  itself  thus  as  harmonistic,  if  indeed  all  xxiv.  la  be  not  from 
Rje  (Dillmann). 

t  So  consistently  in  J  ;  but  the  expression  Spirit  of  Yahweh  is  rare.  Even 
P  has  "  Spirit  of  God  "  (Ex.  xxxi.  3  ;  xxxv.  31). 


230  ^^'  C  'MBERS.  XX I  \' .  4, 

4  He  saith,  which  lieareth  the  words  of  God,*  [  •  •     ] 
Which  seeth  the  vision  of  the  Almighty, 
railing  down,  and  having-  his  eyes  open  i 

5  How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  0  Jacob, 
Thy  tabernacles,  0  Israel ! 

6  As  t  valleys  are  they  spread  forth. 
As  gardens  by  the  river  side. 

As  lign-aloes  %hicli  Yahweh  hath  planted. 
As  cedar  trees  beside  the  waters. 

7  "Water  shall  flow  from  his  bnckets. 
And  his  seed  shall  be  in  many  w  aters. 
And  his  king  shall  be  higher  than  **Agag, 
And  his  kingdom  shall  be  exalted. 

8  ^God  bringeth  him  forth  ont  of  Egypt ; 

He  hath  as  it  were  the  strength  of  the  wild-ox  : 
He  shall  eat  np  the  nations  his  adversaries. 
And  shall  break  their  bones  in  pieces. 
And  smite  [themj  throngh  with  his  arrows.  X 

9  ^He  cronched,  he  lay  down  as  a  lion. 

And  as  a  lioness  ;  who  shall  ronse  him  np  I 
^Blessed  be  every  one  that  blesseth  thee. 
And  cnrsed  be  every  one  that  cnrseth  thee. 

10  And  Balak's  anger  was  kindled  against  Balaam, 
and  he  smote  his  hands  together :  and  Balak  said 
unto  Balaam,  I  called  thee  to  curse  mine  enemies,  and, 
(Rje)  behold,  thou  hast  altogether  blessed  them  th.se 

11  (J)  three  times.    Tbcrcforc  uow  flcc  thou  to  thy  place  : 
^"I  thought  to  promote  thee  unto  great  honor ;  but, 

12  lo,  Yahweh  i;  hath  kept  thee  back  from  honor.    And 

<Gen.  2  :  8f.  &Gen.  49:25.  "I  Sam.  15  :  8ff.  '23:22  *Gen.  49  : 9.  80611.27:29.  1022  : 
>7.  37- 

*  Supply  from  vs.  16  "  .■\iul  knowetli  tlie  knowledge  of  the  Most  High." 
As  in  other  J  poems  the  divine  appellations  are  nuiltiiilied. 

t  In  this  and  the  succeeding  line  read  Iw,  "  in,"  for  /•<•,  "  as." 

X  Read  with  Dillmann  welocliatzaiii  yimc/iatz,  "  and  his  oppressors  will  he 
crush,"  or  else  translate  "  and  shall  trample  upon  his  (their)  arrows." 

§  After  .xxii.  iS  "Yahweh"  in  F.alak's  mouth  is  ajipropriate. 


XXIV.  21.  Tim  ORACLE  OF  BALAAM.  331 

Balaam  said  unto  Balak,  "Spake  I  not  also  to  th.v 
messengers  which  thou  sentest  unto  me,  saying.  If  1 3 
Balak  would  give  me  his  house  full  of  silver  and  gold, 
I  cannot  go  beyond  the  word  of  Yahweh,  to  do  either 
good  or  bad  ^^of  mine  own  mind  ;  what  Yahweh  speak- 
ethjthat  will  I  speak  ?  And  now,  behold,  I  go  unto  14 
my  ])eople:  come,  [and]  I  will  advertise  thee  what 
this  i^eople  shall  do  to  thy  people  ^^in  the  latter  days. 
"And  he  took  up  his  parable,  and  said,  15 

Balaam  the  son  of  Beor  saith, 
And  the  man  whose  eye  was  closed  saith  : 
He  saith,  which  heareth  the  words  of  Ood,  16 

And  knoweth  the  knowledge  of  the  Most  High, 
Which  seeththe  vision  of  the  Almighty, 
Falling  doAvn,  and  having  his  eyes  open : 
I  see  him,  but  not  now  :  17 

I  behold  him,  but  not  nigh  : 
There  shall  come  fortli  a  star  out  of  Jacob, 
And  a  ^^sceptre  shall  rise  out  of  Israel, 
^' And  shall  smite  through  the  corners  of  Moab, 
And  break  down  *  all  the  sons  of  tumult. 
And  Edom  shall  be  a  possession,  18 

Seir  also  shall  be  a  possession,  [which  were]  his  ene- 
mies ; 
While  Israel  doetli  valiantly. 

And  out  of  Jacob  shall  one  have  dominion,  19 

And  shall  destroy  the  remnant  from  the  city. 

(Rd)  And    he  looked  on  Anialek.  and    took    up  his  paral^le,  and    said,  20 
Anialek'was  the  first  of  the  nations; 
But  his  latter  end  shall  come  to  destruction. 

And  he  looked  on  the  I'Kenite,  and  took  up  his  parable,  and  said,  21 

1^  Strong  is  thy  dwelling  place, 

"22:i7f.  '••'16:28.  '3Gen.4i:i.  'Wv.  sf.  i?Gen.  49  :  10 ;  ch.  21  :  18.  i«Jer.  4S  :  45. 
"Jud.   1 :  16  ;  4:11.     "'Gen.  49  :  24. 

*  Read  with  Sam.  and  Jer.  xlviii.  45,  by  a  minute  change  of  text,  "the  skull 
of,"  parallel  to  corners  [sc.  of  the  head,  /.  e.  "  temples  ")  of  preceding  line  (so 
Dillmann,  Ewald  ft.  al). 


232  NUMBERS.  XXIV.  22. 

And  thy  nest  is  set  in  the  rock. 
2  2       Nevertheless  Kain  shall  be  wasted, 

Until  i^Asshur  shall  carry  thee  away  captive. 

23  And  he  took  up  his  parable,  and  said, 
Alas,  who  shall  live  when  God  doeth  this  } 

24  But  ships  [shall  come]  from  the  coast  of  Kittim, 
And  they  shall  afflict  Asshur,  and  shall  afflict  Eber, 
And  he  also  shall  come  to  destruction. 

25  (J)  "And  Balaam  rose  up,  and  went  and  returned  to 
his  place :  and  Balak  also  went  his  way.* 


3.  Chh.  XXV. ;  xxvii. ;  xxxiif.     The  Inheritance  of  the  Tribes 
BEYOND  Jordan. 

ANAL  YSIS. 

At  Shittim,  on  the  east  shore  of  Jordan,  Israel  falls  into  idolatry  and 
is  punished,  XXV.  1-5.  Phinehas,  son  of  Eleazar,  receives  the  covenant 
of  the  priesthood  because  of  his  zeal  in  slaying  one  who  had  taken  to 
wife  a  Midianite  woman;  6-15.  Moses  receives  commandment  to 
ascend  mount  Abarim  and  die  there.  Upon  his  entreaty  Yahweh 
directs  the  appointment  of  Joshua  as  his  successor;  12-23.  ^^ar  is 
declared  against  Midian  because  they  had  beguiled  Israel  into  unclean- 
ness.  Under  Joshua's  command  a  force  of  12,000  Israelites  exterminate 
Mi'dian  without  the  loss  of  a  man,  and  return  to  Moses  with  enormous 
booty;  ch.  xxxi.  The  tribes  of  Gad  and  Reuben  appeal  to  Moses  for 
permission  to  settle  in  the  conquered  lands  beyond  Jordan.     Permission 

i"!!    Kings.  15:29.    2»Ct.  31  :  8  ;  Jos.  13  :  22, 

*  From  vs.  19  on  the  poem  has  been  supplemented  by  one  or  more  later 
hands.  Vv.  23f.,  which  differ  from  the  other  oracles  in  having  no  special 
object  (LXX  supply  "  he  looked  on  Og  "),  have  been  added  subsequently  to 
the  union  of  J  and  K,  to  make  the  group  of  ser'oi  oracles  complete.  Vv.  (19) 
20-22  may  be  older,  but  contemplate  a  later  period  than  that  of  brilliant 
triumph  represented  in  ryf.  (certainly  the  Davidic)  ;  a  period  in  which  the 
heavy  hand  of  Assyria  has  been  felt.  Even  Greek  interference  from  Cyprus  is 
anticipated  in  vs.  24.  Vv.  (19)  2off.  go  beyond  the  intention  of  the  original 
writer,  which  confined  itself,  vs.  14,  to  what  Israel  should  do  to  Moab  and 
Edom. 


INHERITANCES  BEYOND  JORDAN.  233 

is  given  them  on  condition  of  their  participating  first  with  the  other 
tribes  in  the  conquest  of  Canaan.  To  this  they  consent,  and  receive 
Ciilead,  in  whose  cities  their  wives,  children  and  possessions  are  bestowed 
until  their  return.  List  of  cities  and  towns  occupied  in  Gilead,  ch.  xxxii. 
An  itinerary  of  Israel's  wanderings  in  the  desert,  xxxiii.  1-49. 

The  last  chapters  of  Numbers  are  in  unmistakable  disorder.  The 
death  of  Moses,  which  already  at  the  close  of  ch.  xxvii.  is  nnmediately 
impending,  the  appointment  of  Joshua  as  his  successor  being  expressly 
related  as  the  final  act  of  Moses  preliminary  to  his  death,  is  ()b\iouslv 
entirely  out  of  place  ;  since  the  war  with  Midian,  the  distril)ution  of  the 
inheritances  in  Gilead,  the  appointment  of  the  trans-Jordanic  cities  of 
refuge,  not  to  mention  the  entire  Deuteronomic  legislation,  besides  sev- 
eral other  important  transactions,  are  inserted  before  Dt.  xxxiv..  where 
Moses  obeys  the  command  of  xxvii.  I2ff.  and  his  death  actually 
takes  place.  .  The  command,  and  the  charge  to  Joshua  have  of  course  to 
be  related  over  again  after  so  long  an  interval,  and  the  paragraph  is 
accordingly  repeated  in  Dt.  xxxii.  48ff.  The  elements  of  P-  found  in 
chh.  xxxiiff.  prove  that  the  displacement  of  ch.  xxvii.  is  not  merely  due 
to  the  insertion  of  material  foreign  to  this  document,  but  the  ch.  has 
been  taken  from  a  position  after  xxxiv.,  to  which  its  opening  paragraph, 
relating  to  the  inheritance  of  the  daughters  of  Zelophehad,  forms  the 
natural  sequel,  and  has  been  inserted  at  this  earlier  point,  perhaps  for 
the  sake  of  bringing  in  Joshua's  installation  as  leader  (cf.  vv.  18-23) 
before  the  .story  of  the  war  with  Midian  (P-^),  in  which  he  acts  as  chief, 
and  into  closer  connection  with  the  directions  for  distributing  the  inheri- 
tances, which  he  is  to  carry  out  (cf.  xxxii.  28). 

Again,  the  two  parts  of  ch.  xxv.  arbitrarily  cemented  together  at  vv. 
5-6  are  manifestly  mismated.  The  story  of  Israel's  idolatry  at  the 
Moabite  shrine  of  Beth-peor  has  not  the  slightest  real  connection  with 
the  story  of  miscegenation  with  Midianile  women  ;  (cf.  Ex.  xxxiv.  16)  ; 
neither  can  the  "  plague,"  which  according  to  vs.  8f.  has  been  raging  in 
Israel  on  account  of  the  people's  wrong-doing,  be  identified  by  any 
stretch  of  imagination  with  the  punishment  inflicted  in  vv.  4f.  On  the 
contrary,  xxxi.  16  points  to  a  story  of  P'^,  now  obliterated,  in  which  the 
connection  v^-ith  Midianitish  women  at  Beth-peor  and  consequent  plague 
was  ascribed  to  the  counsel  of  Balaam.  Accordingly  it  is  Midian  and 
not  Moab  on  whom  the  Israelites  are  directed  to  avenge  themselves  in 
vv.  1 6- 1 8a.  Vs.  1 8b  is  the  work  of  the  mterpolator  of  ch.  xxxi.  (see 
note  /■//  loc.)  ;  but  it  is  apparent  from  the  reference  of  P'-  in  xxxii.  4,  that 
this  extravagant  viidrash  only  takes  the  place  of  an  original  account 
by  P-  of  the  conquest   of  the  trans-Jordanic  territory  from  Midian.     On 


234  NUMBERS. 

account  of  this  connection  with  chh.  xxxif.,  and  which  Rp  seems  to  follow, 
our  third  subdivision  is  made  to  include  ch.  xxv.,  though  the  JE  elements 
of  the  chapter  have  very  likely  nothing  to  do  with  the  inheritance  of  the 
tribes  beyond  Jordan.  J's  may  even  possibly  be  connected  with  the 
Balaam  episode.  This  brief  paragraph,  which  the  subject,  style  and  lan- 
guage as  well  as  the  reference  in  Dt.  iv.  3  prove  to  belong  in  JE,  seems 
to  be  duplicate  (see  note  on  vs.  4)  but  is  difficult  to  analyze.  From  the 
location  (cf.  Jos.  ii.  1  ;  iii.  i,  E  ;  ct.  xxi.  20,  J)  vs.  la  would  seem  to  be 
from  E  ;  but  E's  conception  of  the  relation  of  Aloab  to  Israel  is  one  of 
non-intercourse,  and  Dt.  xxiii.  5ff.  and  Jos.  xxiv.  9  make  no  allusion  to 
such  plots.  His  idea  of  the  danger  to  Israel  appears  in  Jud.  and  Sam. 
especially  as  temptation  to  idolatry  pure  and  simple.  In  J,  "  whoredom," 
vs.  lb;  Ex.  x.Kxiv.  15,  is  part  of  the  danger.  Now  vs.  3  manifestly 
stands  connected  with  vs.  5,  which  with  any  translation  is  hard  to  recon- 
cile with  vs.  4,  and  the  "judges  "  of  Israel  (vs.  5)  are  one  of  the  great 
features  of  E  (cf.  Ex.  xviii.  ;  Num.  xi.  i6ff.  and  ]ud.  pass/i/i).  The  most 
probable  conclusion  is  that  we  have  here  fragments  of  both  J  and  E, 
the  former  possibly  connected  with  the  curious  reference  to  "  elders  of 
Midian "  in  J's  Balaam  story,  and  the  remarkable  difference  in  the 
priestly  representation  of  the  character  of  Balaam. 

The  character  of  ch.  xxxi.  is  self-evident,  and  we  may  therefore  spare 
ourselves  the  disagreeable  task  of  analysing  it  in  detail.  The  chapter 
depends  throughout  on  P-,  but  is  of  considerably  later  origin,  as  appears 
from  the  style  and  language,  the  elaborate  specification  of  the  numbers 
and  amount  of  spoil,  cf.  Ex.  xxxviii.  24ff  ( P-^),  and  the  independent 
appearance  of  the  high  priest,  vv.  2 iff.,  as  developer  and  expounder  of 
Mosaic  law.  I^river  appropriately  reiterates  the  characterization  of  Dill- 
mann  :  "  Though  cast  into  narrative  form,  the  ch.  has  really  a  legislative 
object,  VIS.  to  prescribe  a  principle  for  the  distribution  of  booty  taken  in 
war  [cf.  I  Sam.  XXX.  18-25].  Of  t-he  place,  circumstances,  and  other 
details  of  the  war  we  learn  nothing  ;  we  are  told  only  the  issue,  how, 
VIZ.,  12,000  Israelite  warriors,  without  losing  a  man  (vs.  49),  slew  all  the 
males  and  married  women  of  Midian,  took  captive  32,000  virgins,  and 
brought  back  800,000  head  of  cattle,  besides  other  booty.  In  the  high 
figures,  and  absence  of  specific  details,  the  narrative  resembles  the  de- 
scriptions of  wars  in  the  Chronicles  or  in  Jud.  xx."  The  hand  of  Rp  is 
discernible  in  vs.  2b  and  16. 

Ch.  xxxii.  is  made  e.xtrenicly  difficult  of  .analysis  by  the  incoming  of 
Rd,  who  seems  to  have  rewritten  vv.  cS  1 5  and  perhaps  made  other 
alterations  in  this  chapter.  It  is  in  fact  intimately  connected  with  Jos. 
xxii.,  a  narrative  derived  in  its  present  form  almost  wholly  from  the  hand 


INHERI TANCES  BE  \  'OND  /( y^DAN.  235 

of  Rd.  Yet  it  is  apparent  from  the  discrepancies  and  incongruities  of 
ch.  xxxii.  that  more  tlian  one  writer  is  here  represented.  The  verses  39, 
4 if.,  which  relate  the  conquest  of  parts  of  Gilead  by  Machir,  Jair  and 
Nobah  (Manassites),  are  in  the  first  place,  quite  obviously  incompatible 
with  the  rest  of  the  chapter,  in  which  the  territory  is  already  conquered 
and  has  just  been  bestowed  upon  Gad  and  Reuben.  The  matter  is  not 
mended  by  the  belated  authorization  by  Moses  introduced  in  vs.  40, 
which  is  in  contradiction  with  both  P  and  JE,  and  is  purely  harmonistic 
(see  note  in  loc).  Similarly  the  unexpected  introduction  of  "  the  half- 
tribe  of  Alanasseh  "  in  vs.  33  as  co-recipients  of  the  inheritance  with  Gad 
and  Reuben,  is.  to  be  sure,  the  persistent  representation  of  P  elsewhere, 
but  agrees  neither  with  the  earlier  part  of  the  ch.,  nor  with  vv.  39ff., 
since  Machir,  according  to  the  priestly  genealogies  is  the  only  son  of 
Manasseh,  and  thus  the  whole  tribe  and  not  one  half,  would  be  trans- 
Jordanic.  Again  vv.  34ff.  in  giving  the  list  of  cities  of  the  territory  in 
question  come  just  near  enough  to  the  list  of  vs.  3  to  show  that  the  same 
are  meant,  but  use  such  differences  in  the  names  as  to  show  that  the  two 
lists  cannot  possibly  be  by  the  same  hand.  Again,  after  Moses  and  the 
Gadites  and  Reubenites  have  already  been  discussing  for  some  time  the 
question  of  the  mheritance,  we  are  told  in  vs.  16  that  they  approached. 
Moses,  preferring  the  same  request  which  had  been  the  subject  of  debate 
from  the  beginning.  Vv.  24-27  thereupon  repeat  also  the  answer  of 
Moses  which  had  already  been  given  in  vv.  20-23.  -^^111  a  third  version 
of  the  same  request  and  conditional  permission  is  given  in  i8f.,  28-32. 
There  is  here  undeniable  redundancy  and  duplication,  with  a  considerable 
amount  of  contrast  in  the  representation  and  the  geographical  and  his- 
torical data.  The  materials  however  have  been  so  closely  interwoven 
and  retouched  as  to  make  a  definite  and  positive  analysis  mipossible. 
Great  assistance,  however,  is  rendered  in  determining  the  form  of  the 
earlier  sources  by  the  subsequent  references  in  JE,  and  especially  by  the 
detailed  recapitulation  in  Dt.  iii.  12-22.  Dt.  xxxiii.  2of.  (J)  contains  a 
reference  to  the  loyalty  of  Gad  in  going  over  Jordan  with  the  other  tribes 
after  having  "  received  for  himself  the  portion  of  a  first  born  son,"  and  vs. 
5  presents  unmistakable  linguistic  marks  of  J.  It  is  therefore  certain 
that  the  substance  of  vv.  1-33  was  related  here  by  J.  From  xxxiv.  i4f. ; 
Jos.  xiii.  I5ff.  it  is  also  demonstrable  with  still  greater  positiveness  that 
P-  had  here  a  similar  narrative.  The  presence  of  this  element  in  the  text 
as  well  as  that  of  J  is  made  manifest  by  the  frequent  duplications,  ib  = 
3,  I  =  4,  2  =  16,  25-27  =  3 if.,  and  the  presence  of  the  characteristic 
style  and  prepossessions  of  the  priestly  writer  (cf.  e.g.  vv.  2b,  4,  28). 
Far  more  difficult  is  it  to  decide  whether  E  has  any  share  in  this  chap- 


23(5  NUMBERS. 

ter.  It  is  indeed  certain  that  he  related  the  conquest  and  possession  of 
the  country  east  of  Jordan  (cf.  Jos.  xxiv.  8  with  the  narrative  of  the  con- 
quest and  occupation  by  Israel  in  Num.  xxi.)  ;  but  whether  he  anywhere 
gave  full  account  of  the  distribution  of  the  land  among  the  individual 
tribes  is  doubtful  (yet  cf.  Jos.  xix.  49f.).  Still  the  representation  which 
he  gives  of  the  conquest  of  Canaan  by  the  united  action  of  all  Israel 
seems  to  presuppose  some  mention  of  how  Gad  and  Reuben  "  executed 
the  justice  of  Yahweh"  when  they  "  came  with  the  heads  of  the  people  "  ; 
and  hence  also  a  relation  of  the  disposition  made  meanwhile  of  their 
already  conquered  inheritance.  This  probability  of  mention  by  E  is 
borne  out  by  the  phenomena  of  ch.  xxxii.,  which  point  to  a  double  source 
even  after  the  removal  of  P.  Thus  the  phrase  employed  to  denote 
"  non-combatants  "  in  vv.  i6f.  and  24  is  that  elsewhere  employed  by  E 
(see  refs.).  On  the  contrary  we  find  the  fuller  expression  in  vs.  26  "  our 
little  ones,  our  wives,  our  flocks,"  etc.  This  peculiarity  of  language 
coincides  with  the  remarkable  new  beginning  in  vs.  16,  and  with  the  fact 
that  the  verses  in  question  can  be  separated  from  the  context  without 
affecting  it,  and  when  so  separated  present  a  parallel  account  with  a 
somewhat  altered  point  of  view.  Here  in  fact  Gad  and  Reuben  appear 
as  proposing/rc^w  //ic  outset  to  accompany  Israel,  upon  which  Moses 
readily  accedes  to  their  request ;  whereas  in  vs.  5,  which  most  unmistak- 
ably possesses  the  linguistic  marks  of  J,  the  request  is  made  in  express 
terms  to  be  allowed  to  remain  behind.  "  Bring  us  not  over  Jordan,"  and 
is  met  by  Moses  with  severe  rebuke.  The  most  striking  characteristic 
which  vv.  i6f.  and  24  possess  in  common  is  the  proposal  to  "  build  cities 
and  sheep-folds,"  and  this  proposal  is  carried  out  in  vv.  33*  -38  (cf.  vs. 
36).  Nowhere  else  is  this  expression  "  cities  and  sheep-folds  "  employed  ; 
hence  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  vv.  33^-38  should  be  connected  with 
i6f.  and  24.  Moreover  vs.  33,  (which,  however,  is  for  the  most  part,  if 
not  wholly,  redactional)  makes  express  reference  to  E's  narrative  of  the 
conquest  of  this  territory  "  from  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites  "  in  ch.  xxi. 
Herewith  then  we  have  the  element  of  E  practically  complete.  We 
miss  only  the  occasion  for  the  tribes'  preferment  of  their  re(]uest.  which 
from  the  allusion  in  vs.  16  to  the  purpose  of  the  "sheep-folds"  must 
have  been  that  related  in  vv.  i  and  4.  It  is  perhaps  worth  noting  in  this 
connection  that  the  same  verse  which  uses  a  different  expression  from 
that  of  vv.  i6f.  and  24  for  "  non-combatants,"  uses  also  a  different  geo- 
graphical description  of  the  territory  in  question  from  vs.  ib  (and  33). 
In  the  latter  it  is  "  the  land  of  Gilead  and  the  land  of  Jazer  "  (vs.  33, 
"  the  kingdom  of  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites  ")  ;  in  the  former  it  is  the 
district    containing  "  the  cities  of  Gilead,"  referring  doubtless    to   those 


XXV.  4.  INHERITANCES  BEYOND  JORDAN.  237 

enumerated  in  vs.  3,  where  Jazer  appears  simply  as  one.  It  appears  to 
be  in  fact  tine  usage  of  J  (cf.  Bud.  Urj^-  p.  344)  to  spealc  of  tlie  trans- 
Jordanic  region  in  general  as  Gilead,  and  the  cis-Jordanic  as  Canaan, 
and  we  have  already  observed  the  incompatibility  of  the  list  in  vs.  3  with 
vv.  34ff.  Accordingly  we  have  manifold  reasons  for  connecting  vs.  3 
with  25ff.,  and  for  assigning  its  parallel,  ib,  2a,  to  E. 

Another  peculiarity  of  diction  used  by  some  in  determining  the 
priestly  element  of  ch.  xxxii.  is,  the  order  of  age,  "  children  of  Reuben 
and  children  of  Gad,"  in  vs.  i,  for  which  we  have  in  the  rest  of  the  ch. 
the  order  of  importance.  Gad,  Reuben.  The  Sam.,  however,  has 
throughout  Reuben,  Gad,  and  LXX.  varies.  Still  it  is  easy  by  means  of 
the  well-known  stylistic  peculiarities  of  I'-  to  extricate  the  story  of  this 
author  in  vv.  la,  3b.  i8f.,  28- 30. 

The  remainder  has  already  been  in  part  demonstrated  to  be  J's  and 
constitutes  the  principal  narrative  ;  vv.  39-43,  however,  belong  at  a  later 
point  in  this  document  (see  note  in  lot.)  ;  the  story  has  also  been  redac- 
tionally  expanded  and  embellished  in  vv.  8-15,  20-23,  and  3if.  (see  note 
in  loc.) 

Ch.  xxxiii.  is  a  late  itinerary  made  up  of  material  from  all  the  sources, 
and  apparently  aims  to  produce  a  total  of  40  stations,  corresponding  to 
the  40  years  of  wandering.  It  follows  the  style  and  phraseology  of  P  to 
some  extent  but  displays  its  redactional  character  by  such  meaningless 
collocation  of  borrowed  material  as  vv.  39ff.  (cf.  xx.  22  ;  xxi.  11.) 


(E)  (J)  And  Israel  abode    in  ^Shittim,  and  the  people  '25 
began  to  commit  -wlioredom  with  the  daughters  of 
Moab :  for  they  called  the  people  unto  the  sacrifices    2 
of  their  gods ;  and  the  people  did  eat,   and  bowed 
(E)  down  to  their  gods.     "And  Israel  joined  himself  unto    3 
Baal-peor  :  and    the    anger   of  Yahweh  was  kindled  against 
(J)  Israel.    And  Yahweh  said   unto  Moses,  Take  all    4 
the  chiefs  of  the  people,  and  hang  them  up  *  unto 

iJos.  2  :  I  ;  3  :  I  ;  E.\.  ,^4  :  15.     -Dt.  4:5:  Hos.  y  :  10. 

*  If  the  translation  "hang  them  up  "  is  retained,  we  must  with  Dillniann 
regard  vs.  4  as  a  doublet  of  5,  and  3a  as  parallel  to  vs.  i.  But  the  translation 
is   uncertain.     Kautzsch    renders    doubtfully  "  set    them  [7.  e.  the  guilty  ones] 


238  NUMBERS.  XXV.  5. 

Yaliweli  before  the  sun  that  the  fierce  anger  of  Yah 

5  (E)  weh  ina.v  tnrn  away   from  Israel.   [  ]    And 

Moses  said  unto  the  judges  of  Israel,  ''Slay  ye  every  one  his 
men    that  have  joined  themselves  unto  Baal-peor.     [  .  .  .  ] 

6  (P)  And,  behold,  one  of  the  children  of  Israel  came  and  brought 
unto  his  brethren  a  Midianitish  woman  in  the  sight  of  Moses,  and 
in    the   sight  of  "all   the  congregation   of  the  children  of  Israel, 

7  while  they  were  weeping  at  the  door  of  the  tent  of  meeting.  And 
luhen  ^Phinehas,  the  son  of  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaron  the  priest, 
saw  it,  he  rose  up  from  the  midst  of  the  congregation,  and  took  a 

8  spear  in  his  hand ;  and  he  ivent  after  the  man  of  Israel  into  the 
pavilion,  and  thrust  both  of  them  through,  the  man  of  Israel,  and 
the  700  man  through  her  belly.     'So  the  plague  'was  stayed  from  the 

9  children  of  Israel.  And  those  that  died  by  the  plague  were 
twenty  and  four  thousand. 

10- 1 1  And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying.  Phi ne has,  the  son  of 
Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaro7i  the  priest,  hath  turned  my  wrath  away 
from  the  children  of  Israel,  in  that  he  was  jealous  ivith  my  jeal- 
ousy among  them,  so  that  I  consumed  not  the  children  of  Israel  in 

12  my  jealousy.      Wherefore  say,  ^Behold,  I  give  unto  him  my  cove- 

13  nant  of  peace  :  and  it  shall  be  unto  him,  and  to  his  seed  after  him, 
the  cove  mint  of  an  everlasting  priesthood  ;  because  he  was  jealous 

for  his    God,  and  made  an  atonement  for   the   children  of  Israel. 

\<\  Now   the  name  of  the  man  of  Israel  that  was  slain,  7vho  was 

slain  with  the  Midianitish  woman,  was  Zimri,  the  son  of  Salu,  a 

15  ^prince  of  a  fathers'  house  among  the  Simeonites.  And  the  name 
of  the  Midianitish  woman  that  was  slain  was  Cozbi,  the  daughter 
of  Zur  ;  he  7vas  head  of  the  people  of  a  fathers    house  in  Midian. 

16  And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Vex  the  Midianites, 
I  7  and  smite  them  :  for  they  vex  you  with  their  wiles,  ivherewith 
18  (Rp)  they  have  beguiled  you  in  the  matter  of  Peor,  and  hi  the  matter   of 

'Ex.  32:  29.      '-V.y..  16:1  and    refs.     ejos.  22:  i4ff.     '16:  46-48.     "Gen.  g  :  8ff.  ;   17:  iff. 


forth  unto  Yahweh  before  the  .sun."  This  would  be  compatible  with  unity  of 
the  narrative ;  nevertheless  the  duplication  seems  to  be  too  great  to  permit  us 
to  regard  vv.  1-5  as  a  unit. 


XX\-11.  23.    INHERITANCES  BEYOND  JORDAN.  239 

Cozhi,  the  daughter  of  the-  prince  of  Midian,  their  sister,  "which  7vas  slain  on  (he 
day  of  th'e  plague  in  the  matter  of  Peor* 
********** 

(P) — ^A/id  Yahwch  said  unto  Moses,  Get  thee  up  into  this  27 — 12 
viou/itaiii  of  Alhifi//!,  and  behold  the  land  7vhich  I  have  given  unto 
the  children  of  fsrael.    And  when  thou  hast  seen  it,  thou  also  shall  13 
be  gathered  unto  thy  people,  ^as  Aaron  thy  brother'  was  gathered : 
because  ^ye  rebelled  against   my  word  in  the  wilderness   of  Zin,  14 
///  the  strife  of  the  congregation,  to  sanctify  me  at  the  ivaters  be- 
fore their  eyes.      ( These  are  the  waters  of  Meribah  of  Kadesh  in 
the  wilderness  of  Zin)     ^And  Moses  spake  unto  Yahweh,  saying,  15 
Let  Yahweh,  ^the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,  appoint  a  man  16 
over  the  congregation,  ichich  may  go  out  before  them,  and  ivhich  17 
may  come  in  before  them,  and  which  may  lead  them  out,  and  wJiich 
may  bring  them  in  ;  that  the  congregation  of  Yahweh  be  not  as 
sheep  which  have  no   shepherd.     And    Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  18 
Take  thee  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  a  man  in  whom  is  the  spirit,  and 
lay  thine  hand  upon  him  ;  and  set  him  before  Eleazar  the  priest,  19 
and  before  all  the  congregation  ;  and  ^givc  him  a  charge  in  their 
sight.     And  thou  shall  put  of  thine  honor  upon  him,  that  all  the  20 
congregation  of  the  children   of  fsrael  may  obey.     And  he  shall  2 1 
stand  before  Eleazar  the  priest,  who  shall  inquire  for  him  by  the 
judgment  of  the  Urim  before  Yahweh  :  at  his  word  shall  they  go 
out,  and  at  his  7vord  they  shall  come  in,  both  he,  and  all  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  7vith  him,  even   all  the  congregation.     And  Moses  22 
did  as  Yahweh  commanded  him  :  and  he  took  Joshua,  and  set  him 
before  Eleazar  the  priest,  and  before  all  the  congregation  :  and  he  23 
laid  his  hands  upon  him.   and  gave  him   a    charge,  as  Yahzveh 
spake  by  the  hand  of  Moses f 


>Dt.  32:48fE.    220:22-29.     '2o:i2f.    ■•€£.  Dt.  31  :  1-8,  i4ff.     516:22.     «Cf.  Dt.  31  :  14.  23. 

*  The  latter  part  of  vs.  18  is  a  clumsy  addition,  intended  to  make  room  for 
ch.  xxxi. ;  cf.  xxxi.  16.  The  redactional  character  of  the  addition  appears 
plainly  in  the  attempt  to  connect  "  the  matter  of  Peor,  and  the  matter  of 
Cozbi,"  which  really  have  no  connection,  (see  Analysis.) 

t  The  duplication  of  vv.  12-14  in    Dt.  xxxii.  48ff.  is  a  remarkable  phenome- 


240  NUMBERS.  XXXII.  i. 

82  (P)  Noiv  the  chihh-en  of  Keiiben  and  the  chihiren  of  Gad  had 
(E)  <?  very  great  [.  .  .]  multitude*  of  cattle:  and  when 
they  saw  the  land  of  ^Jazer,  and  the  land  (A  (lUead,  that,  be- 

2  hold,  the  place  was  a  place  for  cattle  ;  the  children  of  dad 
(P)  and  the  children  of  ReLU)en  -came  and  spake  unto  JHoses, 
and  to  Eleazar  the  priest^  and  unto  the  princes  of  the  congregation., 

I  {"i)  saying,  {.  .  JAtaroth,  and  Dibou,  and  Jazer,  and 
Nimrali,  and  'Heshhon,  and  Elealeh,  and  Sebani,  and 

4  (P)  Nebo,  and  ^^^{)\\,  the  land  luhich  Yahweh  ''smote  before 
the  congregation  of  Israel,  is   a   land  for  cattle,  and  thy  servants 

5  (J)  have  cattle.  ^And  the.v  said,  If*  we  bave  fonnd  s^race 
in  tb.v  sight,  let  tliis  land  be  given  nnto  thy  servants 

6  for  a  possession ;  'bring  ns  not  over  Jordan.  And 
Moses  said  nnto  the  children  of  Gad  and  to  the  ehil 

7  dren  of  Reuben,   Shall  your  brethren  go  to  the  war, 

'21:24.    32.     227.2   etc.     3Cf.  vv.    34ff.     ■'Ch.   31.     °E.x.  33  :  i2ff.  and  refs      "01.33:21. 

noil  which  cannot  be  accounted  for  on  the  supposition  of  intentional  repetition 
bv  P-.  In  one  passage  or  the  other  we  h.ive  the  work  of  Rp,  and  on  some 
accounts  (see  Dillniann's  criticism  of  the  language,  Niuii.,  hi  loc.)  Dt.  .xxxii. 
48ff.  appears  more  original.  From  the  immense  discrepancy  in  time  between  the 
giving  of  the  command,  vv.  I2ff.,  and  its  fulfilment.  Dt.  .x.v.xiv.,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  passage  here  is  quite  premature;  so  much  so  that  it  is  incredible  that 
a  redactor  having  the  elements  of  our  Pentateuch  before  him  should  have  <■(/;■- 
ried  back  this  command  from  its  pro]5er  position  immediately  before  Dt.  xxxiv. 
to  the  present.  On  the  contrary  the  insertion  of  the  book  of  Deuteronomy 
necessitated  the  r<y^6'//V/V7;/ of  this  passage  after  so  long  an  interval;  thus  Dt. 
xxxii.  48-52  finds  itself  most  naturally  and  easily  in  the  category  of  Dt.  i.  3-5; 
iv.  41-43,  which  are  also  priestly  in  style  and  references,  but  have  been  inserted 
by  Rp  for  the  purjiose  of  adjusting  Deuteronomy  to  a  place  in  the  Pentateuch 
story.  In  fact  xxxii.  48ff.  is  accommodated  to  Deuteronomy,  so  that  an  impartial 
e.xaminaiion  will  by  no  means  show  the  linguistic  argument  conclusive  in  its 
favor.  <  )n  the  other  hand  \u.  xxvii.  has  indeed  been  brought  to  an  earlier 
than  its  true  position,  doubtless  in  order  that  Joshua's  installation  may  ]jrecede 
his  conduct  of  the  war  with  Midian  (P'')  and  the  directions  for  distribution  of 
inheritances,  but  this  might  take  i)lacc  at  anytime  after  the  insertion  of  I  )t. 
xxxii.  48-52. 

*  Literally,  "  And  much  cattle  belonged  to  the  children  of  Reuben  and  to  the 
children  of  Gad,  very  numerous"  ;  the  redundancy  probably  arises  from  dupli- 
cation of  source. 


XXXI 1.  19-    INHERITANCES  BEYONB  JORDAN.  ^^41 

(Rd)  and  shall  ye  sit  here  ?      'Ami  w/ien/ore  discourage    ye    the 
heart  of  the  children  of  Israel  fro/n  going  07'er  into  the  land  which   Yahweh 
hath  given  them  f      Thus  did  your  fathers,  when  I  sent  them    front  ^Kadesh-     8 
barnea  to  see  the  land.     Tor  when  they  went  up  unto  the  valley  of  T.shcol,  and     9 
saw  the  land,  they  discouraged  the  heart  of  the   children   of  Israel,  that  thev 
should  not  go  into  the  land  which   Yahweh  had  given  them.     "■'And  Yahioeh's    lO 
anger  was  kindled  in  that  day,  and  he  S7uare,  saying,  Surelv   none  of  the  men   I  I 
that  came  up  out  of  Egypt,  from   twenty  years   old  and  upward,  shall  see  the 
land  Tvhich  /  sioarc  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob  ;  because  thev 
have  not  wholly  fol loaned  me  :  save  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneli  the  A'enizzite,   12 
and  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  :  ^^-because  they  have   wholly  followed   Yahweh. 
^'^And  Yahweh' s  anger  was  kindled  against  Israel,  and  he  made  them  wan-  13 
der  to  and  fro  ni  the  -wilderness  forty  years,  until  all  the  generation,  that  had 
done  evil  III  the  sight  of  Yahweh,  was  consumed.     And,  behold,  ye  are   risen  14 
up  in  yourfathers'  stead,  an  increase  of  sinful  mett,  to  augment  yet  the  fierce 
anger  oj  Yahweh  toward  Israel.     '^-For  if  ye  turn   a7oav  front    after  hint,  he   I  5 
7vill  yet  again  leave  them  in  the  "wilderness  ;  and  ye  shall  destroy  all  this  peo- 

(E)  pie.*       And  they    came    near    unto  him,  and   said,  ^HVe  16 
will  build  sheepfolds  here  for  our  cattle,  and  cities  for  ^*our 
tittle  ones  :  but  we  ourselves  will  be  ready  armed  to  go  be-  17 
fore   the  children   of    Israel,    until   we    have  brought    them 
^^unto   their  place;  and  "our  little  ones  shall  dwell   in  the 
fenced  cities  because  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  land.   [.  .  .] 
(P)    We  win  not  return  unto  our  houses,  until  the  children  oJ  i  S 
Israel  have  inherited  every  man  his  inheritance.     For  we  will  not  1 9 
inherit  with  them  on  the  other  side  Jordan,  and  foriiiard ;  because 

'Dt.  I  :  22-28.  '^34  :  4  :  Dt.  i  :  2, 19  ;  2  :  14  :  q  :  23.  "Dt.  i  :  34ff.  ;  ch.  14  :  28-30.  '"Dt.  i  : 
63 '114:34.     i2Dt   ,0:17      i3Vv.  24,  36.     in's.  24:Gen.   47  :  12  ;  50  :  21  ;  ct.  v.  26.     '*Ex. 

23  :  20. 

*  The  interpolation  vv.  7-15  belongs  to  the  late.st  period  of  redaction,  pre- 
supposing P^'s  conception  of  the  narrative  of  the  spies  (cf.  vs.  I)  with  xiv.  29) 
but  the  tone  and  character  are  not  priestly  but  Deuteronomic.  (cf.  Kadesh- 
barnea  with  Dt.  passitn.  From  this  jioint  on,  in  fact,  the  analysis  of  the 
sources  is  embarrassed  by  the  copious  interpolations  of  this  Rd,  the  book  of 
Joshua  especially  being  tinged  by  it  throughout.  Cf.  Dt.  i.-iii.  and  Jos.  xxii, 
where  the  theme  is  the  same  as  here.  Tn  Jos.  xx.  and  elsewhere  the  evidence 
of  LXX.  proves  this  Deuteronomic  redaction  to  have  continued  to  a  very  late 
period.     The  motive  here  is  clearly  didactic. 


243  XL'MBKRS.  XXXII.  20. 

our    inheritance    is  fallen^  to    us    on    this  side  Jordan  casttvard. 

20  (J)  And  Moses  said  unto  them,  If  ye  will  do  this 
thini;';  if  ye  Avill  arm  yourselves  to  go  before   Yah- 

2\  Aveh  to  the  war,  and  ''every  armed  man  of  you  will 
pass  over  Jordan    before    Yahweh,    until    he    hath 

22  driven  out  his  enemies  from  before  him,  and  the  land 
be  subdued  iK'fore  Yahweli :  then  afterward  ye  shall 
return,  and  be  guiltless  towards  Yahweh,  and  towards 
Israel ;  and  this  land  shall  be  unto  you  for  a  posses- 

23  sion  before  Yahweh.  Kut  if  ye  will  not  do  so,  be- 
hold, ye  have  sinned   against  Yahweh  :  and  be  sure 

24  (E)  your  sin  will  find  you  out.  Build  you  cities  for 
your  ^'little  ones,  and  folds   for   your  sheep  ;  and  do   that 

25  (J)  which  hath  proceeded  out  of  your  mouth.  And  the 
children  of  Gad  and  the  children  of  Reuben  spake 
unto  Moses,  saying.  Thy  servants  will  do  as  my  lord 

26  commandeth.  '^Onr  little  ones,  our  wives,  our  flocks, 
and  all  our  cattle,  shall  be  there  in  the  cities  of  Gil- 

27  ead  :  but  thy  servants  will  pass  over,  ^^every  man 
that  is  armed  for  war,  before  Yahweh  to  battle,  as 
my  lord  saith.* 

28  (P)  So  Moses  o-air  eha/^e  concerning:;  them  ■"  to  Eleazar  the 
priest,  and  to  Joshua    the  son    oj  A'lni,  and  to   the  heads  of  the 

2f)  fathers'  [/louses']  of  the  tribes  of  the  children  of  Israe/.  And 
Moses  said  unto  them,  If  the  children  of  Gad  and  the  children  of 
Reuben  will  pass  with  you  ovc)-  Jordan,  d'cry  man  that  is  armed 
to  battle,  before  Yahweh,  and  the  land  shall  be  subdued  before  you  : 

30  then  ve  shall  give  them  the  land  of  Gilead  for  a  possession  :  but  if 

i«Cf.  vs.  29  and  Jos.  18  :  I.  "Vs.  i6  and  refs.  '^Ch.  i6  :  24  ;  (Jen.  34  :29  ;  43  :  8  ;  50  :  8  ; 
ct.  vs.  16 and  rcfs.     '"Vs.  29.     '■'".34  :  16  :  Jos.    14  :  i  ;  19  ;5i. 

*  The  resemblances  in  expression  between  vv.  2off.  27  (J)  and  2Sff.  (P-)  arc 
too  close  to  allow  of  any  theory  of  complete  independence,  and  are  commonly 
held  among  critics  to  show  the  retouching  of  the  chapter  by  Rd.  It  is  worth 
noting,  however,  that  in  previous  instances  (Ex.  xvi.  compared  with  Num.  xi. 
and  Num.  xiv.  26ff.)  we  have  found  similar  resemblances  where  the  relation 
was  certainly  one  of  direct  dependence  of  P'^  upon  J.  The  phrases  employed 
in  common  are  not  such  as  are  elsewhere  distinctive  of  either  document. 


XXX  11.39-     INHERI TANCES  BE  \  'ONI)  JORDAN.  243 

t/icy  will  /lot  pass  over  with  you   an/iiul,  t/ity  shall  have  possession 
aiito/ig  you  in  the  land  of  Canaan.     And  the  children  of  Gad  and  ^i 
the  children  of  Reuben    answered,  saying,  As  Yahweh  hath  said 
unto  thy  servants,  so  will  we  do.      We  will  pass  over  armed  before  32 
Yahweh  into  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  the  possession  of  our  inheri- 
tance [shall  remain]  with  us  beyond  Jorda/ir^     And  Moses  oave  xx 
(Rd)  unto  them.  ,,■„,  totJie  cluldren  of  Gad,  amt  to  t/u  children  of  Reuben, 
and  unto  tlie  Iialf  tribe  of  Manasseli  tlie  son  of  Josef  li  --  the  kingdom  of  Sihon 
(P)  kitigoftlie  Amorites,  and  the  kitigdom  of  Og  king  of  Bas/ian,  the  land 
[  .   .   .    J*  according  to  the  cities  thereof  with  [their]  borders,  even 
(E)  the  cities  of  the  land  round  about.     And  the  children  of  Gad  34 
built'-'^Dibon,  and  Ataroth,and  Aroer,  and  Atroth-shophan,  and  35 
Jazer,  and  Jogbehah  ;  and  Beth-nimrah,  and  Beth-haran  :  fen-   36 
ced  cities,  and  folds  for  sheep.     And  the  children  of  Reuben  37 
built  Heshbon,  and  Elealeh,  and  Kiriathaim  ;  and  Nebo,  and  38 
Baalmeon,   {their  7ia,nes  being-  changed')    and   Sibmah  :    and    gave 
(J)  other  names  unto  the  cities  which  they    builded.  — And  39 
the  children  of  Machir  the  son  of  Manasseh  went  to 

"34  :  i4f.  Dl.    3  :  12-17  ;    29  ■  8  ;  Jos.    12  :  6  ;  13  :  8  ;  22  :  4.     2=21  :  24ff.     23Ct.  vs.  3. 

*The  introduction  of  the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh  here  is  plainly  an  afterthought, 
but  the  insertion  is  not  due  to  the  amalgamation  of  P  with  JE,  for  throughout 
the  subsequent  representations  of  JE  and  Rd  it  is  always  "  Reuben,  Gad  and 
half-Manasseh  "  who  play  this  part  (cf.  Dt.  iii.  I2ff ;  Jos.  i.  I2ff.)  precisely  as  in 
P  (xxxiv.  I4f.)  But  in  Nu.  xxxii  neither  in  the  P  element,  so  far  as  preserved 
to  us,  nor  in  the  E  element,  in  the  original  form,  does  there  seem  to  have  been 
any  mention  of  any  besides  Reuben  and  Gad,  (cf.  also  Jos.  xxii.  34.  E).  A  pos- 
sible solution  of  the  puzzle  is  as  follows :  Rje  amalgamated  in  Num.  xxxii. 
according  to  his  usual  practise  the  data  of  J  and  E  as  to  the  occupation  of  the 
country  east  of  Jordan  by  Gad  and  Reuben.  To  this,  for  completeness'  sake, 
he  added  (from  a  subsequent  part  of  J's  narrative  ;  see  note  following)  the  story 
of  the  occupation  of  the  rest  of  the  East-Jordan  territory,  Gilead,  Havvoth  Jair 
and  Nobah,  by  three  Manassite  clans,  inserting  vs.  40.  In  later  writers  ac- 
cordingly Moses'  gift  to  the  transjordanic  tribes  includes  "  half  Manasseh,"  /.  e. 
Machir.  Thus  the  easy  comprehensiveness  of  the  (unhistorical)  conception 
found  in  JE,  Rd,  P-,  and  Rp  is  reached,  all  the  territory  east  of  Jordan  sub- 
dued by  Moses  at  one  time  and  given  to  Reuben,  Gad  and  half-Manasseh,  who 
afterwards  accompany  all  Israel  under  Joshua.  P^'s  account  is  therefore  strictly 
xlependent  upon  JE.     Insert  in  vs.  b  "  of  Gilead,"  cf.  vs.  29. 


244  NUMBERS.  XXX II.  40. 

Gilead,  and  took  it,  and  ''dispossessed  the  -^Amorites* 

40  (Rje)  which  were  therein.    •'■AikI  Moses  gave  Gllead  unto  Machir 

41  the  son  of   Manasseh;  and    he  dwelt  therein.      And  Jail"  the  SOn  of 

Manasseh  went  and  took  the  towns  thereof,  and  called 

42  them  Havvoth-jair.  And  Nohah  went  and  took  Kenath, 
and  the  villages  thereof,  and  called  it  Nobah,  after  his 
own  name.— t 

33  (Rp)  ^These  are  the  journeys  of  the  children  of  Israel,  when  they  went 
forth  oul  of  the   land  of  Egypt  by   their  hosts  under  the  hand  of  Moses   and 

2  Aaron.  A^td  Moses  'wrote  their  goings  out  according  to  their  journeys  by  the 
commandment  of  Yahweh  :  and  these  are  their  journeys  according  to  their  go- 
ings out.  And  they  /ourneyed  from  Kameses'-in  the  first  month,  on  the  fif- 
teenth day  of  tfie  first  moith  ;  on  the  morrinv  after  the  passover  the  children  of 

4  Israel  we>it  out  ■kvith  an  high  hand  in  the  sight  of  all  the  Egyptians,  while 
the  Egyptians  were  burring  all   their  firstborn,  -which  Yahweh    had  smitten 

c     among  them  :  ^iipon  their  gods  also  Yahweh    rxeeuted  judgments.     '•'And  the 

6  children  of  Israel  journeyed  from  Kameses,  and  pitched  in  Succoth.  A  nd  they 
jotirneyed  from  Succoth,  and  pitched  in  Etham,  which    is  in  the  edge  of  the 

7  wilderness.     ^  And  they  journeyed  frotn  Etham,  and  turned  back   unto  Pi-ha- 


•^<2i  :  32  :  Jud.  . 

:  igff. 

-5i3  :29  ;  21  :32 

;  Jud.  I 

:34f. 

26Dt.3: 

15- 

lEx. 

ind  refs.     ^Ex.   12  ■ 

2:1; 

5  :4.     3Ex.    14:8. 

4Ex. 

12  :  12. 

'Ex.    12 

:37- 

«Ex, 

*  ''  A.vCiOX\iQ"  as  a  generic  term  for  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan  is  certainly  a 
distinctive  mark  of  E.  J  speaks  of  them  preferably  as  "  Canaanites,"  <ir  by 
enumeration  of  the  various  tribes.  It  by  no  means  follows  that  J  knows  no 
Amorites.  On  the  contrary  Jud.  i.  34f.  shows  that  he  knew  of  them,  and  Jud. 
X,  8  shows  that  to  Rd  at  least  Gilead  was  "the  land  of  the  Amorites"/"'^' 
excellence.  "  Amorite  "  here  and  in  Num.  xxi.  32  is  therefore  no  argument 
against  derivation  from  J. 

tVv.  39,  4if.,  contain  an  invaluable  fragment  of  the  ancient  account  in  J  of 
how  the  individual  tribes  and  clans  made  conquest  of  the  territory  allotted  to 
them.  A  full  example  is  shown  hi  Jud.  i,  particularly  in  the  account  of  Judah 
and  his  minor  satellites,  Calebite  and  Kenite.  The  present  fragment  bears  the 
same  relation  to  the  story  of  "  the  house  of  Joseph,"  Jos.  xvii.  14-iS  as  Jud.  i. 
ro-i6  to  that  of  Judah,  and  has  almost  certainly  been  taken  from  after  Jos. 
xvii.  iS  (see  IJud.  Richt.  u.  Sam.  p.  38f,  59f.).  The  incident  related  belongs 
both  historically  and  in  its  original  literary  connection  to  post-Mosaic  times. 
Vs.  40  thus  appears  as  a  purely  redactional  and  harmonistic  addition  (see  note 
preceding);  its  very  language  ("  Machir  "  for  " /w/Z-Macliir  "  of  vs.  39)  in  fact 
l)elrays  il,  as  well    as    its   belated  jinsition.      It    is   not,  however,  from  P-  (  Hill- 


XXXIII.  35-  INHERITANCES  BEYOND  JORDAN.  245 

hiroth,'d<hicIi  is  before  Baal-zephcii :  and  Ihey  piteheti  before  Migdol.  And  g 
tkey  Journeyed  from  before  Hahirotli,  and  passed  through  the  ?nidst  of  the  sea 
into  the  wilderness  :  and  tliey  went  three  days'  journey  in  the  wildvrness  of 
Etham,  and  pitched  in  Marah.  'And  they  Journeyed  frotn  Marah,  and  came  g 
u)tto  Elini :  and  in  Elim  -were  twelve  springs  of  water,  and  threescore  and  ten 
palm  trees  :  and  t/icy  pitched  there.  And  they  Journeyed  front  Elim,  and  \o 
pitched  by  the  Red  Sea.  And  they  Journeyed  from  the  Red  Sea,  ^and  pitched  j  i 
/';/  the  wilderness  oj'  Sin.  And  they  Journeyed  frojn  the -wilder  ness  of  Sin,  and  \  2 
pitched  ill  Dophl^ah.  And  they  Journeyed  from  Dophkah,  and  pitched  in  \'> 
Alush.  "^Aiid  they  Journeyed  from  Alush,  and  pitched  in  Re fhidim,  where  \a 
ivas  no  -water  for  the  people  to  drink.  ^^And  they  Journeyed  from  Rephidi?n,  jc 
and  pitched  in  the  %vilderness  of  Sinai.  ^'^And  they  /ourneved  from  the -wild-  16 
erness  of  Sinai,  and  pitched  in  Kibroth-hattaa-c'ah.  And  thev  Journeved  from  i  7 
Kibroth-hattaavah,  and  pitched  in  Plazeroth.  ^-And  thev  journeyed  front  18 
Hazeroth,  and  pitched  in  Rithmah.  And  they  journeyed  from  Rithmah,  and  ig 
pitched  in  Rimmon-perez.  And  they  Journeyed  from  Rimnion-perez,  ajid  pitch-  20 
ed  in  ^^Libnah.  And  they  Journeyed  from  Libiiah,  and  pitched  in  Rissah.  21 
And  they  Journeyed  from  Rissah,  and  pitched  in  Kehelathah.  And  thev  22—23 
Journeyed  from  Kehelathah,  and  pitched  in  mount  Shepher.  And  they  fourn-  24 
eyed  from  mount  Shepher,  and  pitched  in  Haradah.  And  tliey  journeyed  Jrom  2^ 
Haradah,  and  pitched  in  Makheloth.  And  they  Journeyed  from  Makheloth,  26 
ana  filched  in  Tahath.  And  they  Journeyed  from  Tahath,  and  pitched  in  27 
Terah.  And  thev  journeyed  from  Terah,  and  pi'tched  in  Mithkah.  And  28-20 
they  Journeyed  from  Mithkah,  and  pitched  in  Hashmonah.  And  they  Jour-  ^o 
neyed  from  Hashmotiah,  and  pitched  in  ^''Moseroth.  And  they  Journeyed  from  ^i 
Moseroth,  and  pitched  in  '^^Bene-jaakan.  And  I  hey  Journeyed  from  Bene-Jaa-  ^2 
kan,  and  pitched  in  '^^Hor-haggidgad.  And  they  Journeyed  from  Hor-haggid-  33 
gad,  and  pitched  in  ^^Jotbathah.  And  they  Journeyed  from  Jotbathah,  and  t^^ 
pitched  in  Abrotiah.    And  they  journeyed  from  Abronah, and  pitched  in  Ezion-  35 

"Ex.  15  :  27.    ''E.x.  16:1.    "Ex.  17:1.    "Ex.  lo  :  i.     "ii:34f.    !2i2  :  i6  :  Dt.  i  :  i.     i^ot, 
I  :  I.     ■■»Dt.  10  :  6.     '^Dt.  to  :  7. 

mann)  nor  even  in  the  interest  of  P- ;  for  P-  represents  Macliir  as  the  only  son 
of  Manasseh,  and  the  daughters  of  Zelophehad,  a  great-grandson  of  Machir,  as 
contemporaries  of  Moses  (cf.  Gen.  1.  23,  E) — The  parenthetic  clause  in  vs.  38  is 
probably  a  mere  marginal  direction  to  the  synagogue  reader  to  avoid  pronounc- 
ing the  offensive  names  of  heathen  deities,  Nebo  and  Baal,  which  occur  in  the 
names  of  the  Reubenite  cities.  The  patronymic  of  Nobah  (vs.  42)  has  also, 
apparently,  been  omitted  or  lost. 


246  NUMBERS.  XXXIII.  36. 

36  geber  ^^Aud  they  jotirneyed  fro7n  Ezion-geber,  and  pitched  in  the  wilderness 
-i",  of  Z ill  {the  same  is  Kadesh)'-  And  they  journeyed  from  Kadesh,  and  pitched 
^8  I'l  mount  Hor,  iii  the  edge  of  the  land  of  Edom.     '^'And  Aaron  the  priest  went 

up  into  mount  Hoy  at    the  commandment  of  Yahweh,  and   died   there,  in  the 

fortieth  year  after  the  children  of  Israel  7oere  come  out  of  the  laud  of  Egypt, 
■?n  m  the  fifth  month,  on  the  first  day  of  the  month.  And  Aaron  loas  an  lutndred 
40  eifid  twenty  and  three  years  old  when  he  died  in  //lonut  Hor.     ^^Auil  the  Can- 

aanite.the  king  of  Arad,  which  d7uclt  in  the  South  in  the  land  of  Canaan, 
II  heard  0/  the  coming  of  the  children  of  Israel.  And  they  journeyed  from  mount 
A2  Hor,  and  pitched  in  Zalmouah.  And  tliey  journeyed  from  Zalmonah,  and 
43  pitched  in  Punon.  ^^And  they  journeyed  from  Punoii,  and  pitched  in  Ol'oth. 
AA  And  they  journeyed  from  Oboth,  and  pitched  in  lyeabarim,  in  the  border  of 
45—46  Moab.  And  they  journeyed  from  lyim,  and  pitched  in  -'Diboihi^ad.  And 
^'1  they  four  neyed  from  Dibon-gad,  and  pitched  in  Almou-diblathaim.     And  they 

journeyed  from  Abnon-diblathaim,  and -'^pitched  in  the  mountains  of  Aba  rim  ^ 

48  before  Nebo.     And  they  journeyed  from    the   mountains    of  Abarim,  --and 

49  pitched  in  the  plains  of  Moab  by  the  Jordan   at  Jericho.     And  thcv  pitched  bv 
Jordan,  from  Bethjeshimoth  e7<en  unto  Abel--^shittim  in  the  plains  of  Moab.* 


"20  .  I.  "20  :  22ff  ;  Dt.  32  :  50  ;  ct.  Dt.  lo :  6.  "*2i :  1-3.  '"21  :  loff.  '"32  :  34.  ^'21  :  20, 
Dt.  32  •  49.     ^^22  :  I.     '^^25  :  i;  Jos.  2  :  i. 

*  Num.  .xxxiii.  1-49  is  a  late  redactional  colophon  which  may  at  some  period 
of  the  text  have  served  as  a  conclusion  to  the  story  of  the  wandering.  Unfor- 
tunately its  principal  historical  value,  the  supplying  of  gaps  in  the  sources,  as 
e.  g.  P  in  Ex.  xii.,  supplied  from  vv.  3-5,  is  materially  reduced  by  its  artificial 
numerical  scheme  (40  stations  for  40  years  ;  see  Analysis);for  the  list  of  authen- 
tic names  has  almost  certainly  been  supplemented.  Nevertheless  it  mav  rea- 
sonably be  inferred  from  vs.  2  that  an  actual  list  of  JE,  attributed  by  the  writer 
to  Moses,  underlies  this  chapter,  and  of  this  we  have,  no  doubt,  fragments  in 
XXI.  12-20,  Dt.  X.  6f.  (Dt.  i.  I  })  and  Num.  xxi.  12-20. 


PROLEGOMENA.  247 

DEUTERONOMY. 

Prolegomena. 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  our  present  undertaking  to 
speak  of  the  Deuteronomic  Code  further  than  merely  to  point 
out  that  by  this  term  we  mean  Dt.  xii-xxvi,  a  revised  and 
enlarged  edition  of  the  Mosaic  institutions,  adapted  to  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  last  quarter  of  the  seventh  century,  B.  C. 
It  presents  itself  as  "  the  Words  of  the  Covenant  which  Yahweh 
commanded  Moses  to  make  with  the  children  of  Israel  in  the 
land  of  Moab,  besides  the  covenant  which  he  made  with  them 
in  Horeb  "  (xxix.  i  ;  Heb.  xxviii.  69),  and  it  is  a  gratuitous  asper- 
sion to  assert  that  this  "  covenant  in  the  land  of  Moab,  besides 
that  of  Horeb"  is  a  pure  fiction  of  the  Deuteronomist.  On  the 
contrary  we  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  there  was  such  a 
law,  of  immemorial  antiquity  in  D's  time  (620,  B.C.)  embodied 
mainly  in  the  Book  of  Judgments  of  JE,  whose  adoption,  by 
covenant,  was  attributed  to  the  last  days  of  Moses  in  the  land  of 
Moab.  In  addition  to  this,  which  forms  the  principal  stock  of 
Deuteronomy,  there  were  the  Words  of  the  Covenant,  Ex. 
xxxiv.  ;  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,  Ex.  xx.  22-26,  xxiii.  10-33  ; 
the  Ordinances  of  Ex.  xii.  21-27  ;  -^iii-  3-^6,  and  whatever  tra- 
dition had  transmitted  as  part  of  the  Mosaic  institutions  under 
the  comprehensive  head  of  the  "  teaching  [tora/i)  and  com- 
mandment"  ('////7;7t'(?'//)  which  according  to  Ex.  xxiv.  12,  Moses 
had  received  in  the  mount  for  oral  transmission  ("  that  thou 
mayest  "teach  them").  The  need  for  a  recodification  of  the 
Mosaic  institutions  after  the  reactionary  reign  of  Manasseh  was 
imperative.  The  conflicting  claims  as  to  what  was,  and  what  was 
not,  Mosaic  (cf.  Jer.  vii.  /ass////,  especially  vv.  21-23,  and  31b), 
with  the  growing  mass  of  fo/-a//  among  the  priestly  guilds,  was 
urgent  enough  in  itself,  but  before  all  else  was  the  necessity  for 
the  rescue  of  pure  Yahwism  from  the  increasing  corruption  of 
rural  sanctuaries,  where  Canaanitish  practises  rivalled  with 
Egyptian  and  Assyrian  idol-worship  in  degrading  the  high 
standard     of    old    Yahwistic     monolatry,     the     "  jealousy    for 


248  DEUTERONOMY. 

Yahweh  "  of  Elijah.  The  war  of  the  "  true  "  prophets  and  the 
better  class  of  the  priesthood  against  Canaanitism,  begun  in  the 
days  of  Hezekiah  had  gone  heavily  against  them  during  the  57 
years  of  Manasseh,and  Amon.  With  the  revolution  which  put 
the  child  Josiah  upon  the  throne  and  the  chief  priest  Hilkiah 
in  the  regency,  the  opportunity  and  the  duty  of  the  prophetic 
party  and  the  supporters  of  unadulterated  Mosaism  was  equally 
clear.  A  recodification  of  the  Mosaic  institutions  took  place  at 
the  hands  of  those  properly  and  legitimately  entrusted  with 
this  common  inheritance  of  the  nation,  the  prophets  and 
priests  ;  and  the  noble  work  which  they  produced  was  the 
Deuteronomic  Code.  Whether  by  accident  or  design,  it  came 
into  the  hands  of  Hilkiah  in  the  course  of  the  repairs  under- 
taken upon  the  temple,  and  after  consultation  with  "  Huldah 
the  prophetess  "  and  the  king's  confidential  advisers,  it  was 
made  by  royal  decree  the  official  standard  and  platform  of  the 
government.  From  the  year  621  B.  C.  until  the  canonization  of 
the  Priestly  Code  under  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  circa  444  1>.  C, 
the  Deuteronomic  Code  wdis par  excellence  the  Book  of  the  Torah, 
and  it  is  not  improbable  that  for  a  century  or  more  it  circu- 
lated as  an  independent  work,  before  being  attached  to  JE. 
At  least  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  for  what  purpose  it  received 
the  double  framework  of  introductions  and  appendices  which 
now  encloses  it,  unless  to  fit  it  for  independent  circulation. 

The  code  itself  should  be  discussed  in  connection  with  the 
legislative  elements  of  the  Pentateuch.  The  i;i/icr  framework 
which  encloses  it,  consisting  of  an  introduction,  chji.  iv.  44 — .\i. 
32  for  the  most  part ;  and  an  appendi.x,  .wvii.  gf  ;  .x.wiii-.x.v.v  ; 
and  xxxi.  9-13  (so  Cornill),  forms  a  sernionic  exhortation  in 
true  preaching  (parenetic)  style,  assumes  Moses  to  have  written 
the  code,  and  clearly  dates  from  the  Exile.  With  this  also  we 
have  little  to  do,  as  it  contams  no  trace  of  anvthing  tlerived,  ex- 
cept indirectly,  from  jK.  But  in  addition  to  this  framework  of 
scrmenic  exhortation,  which  Cornill  designates  Dp  (parenetic 
Deuteronomist),  there  is  another,  also  in  the  form  of  a  dis- 
course, in  which,  however,  the  liistorical  interest  predominates. 
This  framework  also,  so  far  from  being  adapted  to  connect  the 


PROLEGOMENA.  249 

book  with  JE,  seems  to  be  intended  to  take  the  place  of  the 
prophetic  narrative,  and  thus  supply  the  book  with  a  histori- 
cal setting.  This  outer  framework  consists,  like  Dp,  of  an 
introductory  discourse  x.  i-ii  ;  i.  6-iii.  29  (iv.  1-40)  (xi. 
26-32  ?j,  and  an  appendix  containing  according  to  Cornill 
xxxii.  45-47  and  xxvii.  1-8.  In  Dh  iv,  9-40  ;  xxvi.  16-19  ^''^ 
later  growths.  One  might  prefer  on  some  accounts  to  regard 
xxix.  2-xxx.  20  ;  xxxi.  16-22  ;  xxxii.  1-47  as  constituting  Dh's 
appendix,  and  iv.  1-40  instead  of  iv.  9-40  as  the  later  growth, 
with  which  xxxi.  24-30  might  then  be  connected.  But  the 
question  of  the  history  and  relation  of  I)h  and  Dp  does  not 
concern  us  save  in  a  single  point,  and  as  to  this  we  may  en- 
dorse the  conclusions  of  Cornill  with  confidence.  Dli  is  a 
fraineiuork  for  the  Deutcyoiioiiiic  Code,  7c//o//y  i/n/cpent/ciif  of  Dp, 
and  equally  independent  of  an\  ot/ier  HcxatciicJial  docin/ie/if.  It  has 
been  taken  up  and  combined  with  the  Deuteronomy  enclosed 
by  Dp,  perhaps  by  the  author  of  xxxi.  24-30,  (Rd)  who  supplies 
a  new  introduction  to  the  Song  (ch.  xxxii.)  after  vs.  it,  has  sepa- 
rated its  original  introduction,  vv.  16-22  from  it.  Part  of  it  is 
missing  before  i.  6,  part  appears  displaced  in  x.  1-9  where  it 
makes  good  the  failure  of  Dp  to  mention  the  second  tables.  It 
has,  therefore,  met  rough  treatment,  Dh  also,  as  well  as  Dp, 
is  free  from  any  material  which  in  its  present  form  can  be  as- 
signed to  J  or  E.  Bi/t  K'/iere  Dh  has  been  connected  with  the  Deit' 
teronomy  of  Dp  u<e  find  frai:;nients  of  E.  The  curious  feature  of 
the  case  is  that  these  fragments  are  not  part  of  Dh,  and  cannot 
possibly  have  been  taken  up  by  him  ;  for  in  some  instances  they 
are  as  completely  foreign  to  the  context  in  which  they  stand  as 
if  clipped  at  random  out  of  some  other  book,  and  inserted  where 
they  happened  to  fall  ;  in  every  instance  the  context  of  Dh  is 
only  injured  by  their  insertion.  They  have  no  relation  to 
Deuteronomy,  to  Dp  nor  to  Dh,  except  in  some  cases  an  arti- 
ficial and  mechanical  one  to  the  last  mentioned  ;  and  where  this 
relation  subsists,  as  in  xxvii.  i-S,  iiff,  (introduced  by  xxvi. 
16-19  ^1""^^  drastically  retouched)  and  xxxi.  i4f,  23  (connection 
of  vs,  22  with  ch.  xxxii.  reestablished  by  means  of  vv.  24-30)  it 
seems  to  be  by  a  later  hand  than  that  of  Dh.     The  most  prob- 


250  DE  U  TERONOM  V. 

able  conclusion  is  that  these  E  fragments  were  put  in  where 
they  now  stand  at  the  time  when  Deuteronomy  with  its  double 
framework,  or  envelope,  of  Dp  and  Dh  was  united  to  JE,  the 
"  prophetic  "  sacred  history  ;  or,  to  put  it  still  more  simply  and 
intelligibly,  that  when  room  was  made  in  the  closing  chh.  of 
JE  for  the  incorporation  of  D  +  Dp  +  Dh,  these  fragments  of 
the  sacred  history  were  regarded  by  the  incorporator  (Rd)  as 
too  valuable  to  be  lost,  and  accordingly  were  attached  as  best 
they  might  be  to  Dh.  It  is  perhaps  significant  that  the  most  er- 
ratic fragment  of  all,  is  found  embedded  in  that  paragraph  of 
Dh,  which  has  been  removed  from  the  beginning  of  the  histori- 
cal discourse  and  interpolated  after  ch.  ix.,  apparently  on  account 
of  Ex.  xxxiv.,  which  we  have  already  seen  reason  to  regard  as 
one  of  the  reincorporations  of  Rd. 

What  theory  can  we  frame  to  account  for  these  curious 
fragments  ?  We  must  loo!'  at  the  fragments  themselves  to  de- 
termine, after  the  satisfactory  establishment  of  their  origin, 
what  their  original  connection  and  setting  may  have  been. 
Afterwards  the  limits  derivable  from  the  admittedly  dependent 
writings  may  shed  some  additional  light. 

The  fragments  in  i.  ib  (2  ?)  and  x.  6f.  give  little  information. 
It  is  clear  that  they  are  taken  from  an  itinerary  of  the  journey 
from  Horeb  to  Kadesh,  and,  as  we  shall  see,  from  the  source 
E  ;  i.  2  informs  us,  perhaps  on  the  same  authority,  that  it  was 
"  eleven  days'  journey."  The  names  in  x.  6f.  are  parallel  tO' 
Num.  xxxiii.  31-33,  where  they  appear  before  Kadesh.  From 
the  structure  of  the  names  it  is  probable  that  the  region  is  that 
of  mount  Seir.  From  Num.  xx.  i,  which  relates  in  an  E  frag 
ment  the  death  of  Miriam  on  the  people's  arrival  in  Kadesh,  it 
is  natural  to  think  that  in  this  document  that  of  Aaron  was 
related  somewhat  later.  We  found  no  traces  of  the  itinerary 
of  E  before  Num.  xx.,  where  we  should  have  expected  its  origi- 
nal position  to  have  been.  Had  it  been  removed  to  the  end  of  the 
Story  of  the  Wilderness  Wandering  for  sue  h  .1  [turpose  as  Num. 
xxxiii.  now  subserves?  And  is  this  late  itinerary  of  R[)  re- 
written on  the  basis  of  the  E  original  i*  'I"he  itinerary  Num. 
xxxiii.  had  a  documentary  source,  else  vs.  2  would  not  read  as  it 


PROLEGOMENA.  251 

does.  But  there  is  now  unfortunately  little  room  for  anything 
more  than  fancy  in  answer  to  the  question,  what  this  source 
may  have  been. 

The  fragments  XXV.  17-19,  xxvii.  1-8,  iiff.  and  xxxi.  i4f.,  27^ 
give  more  satisfactory  indications.  They  probably  stand, 
relatively  to  the  story,  in  about  the  same  positions  they  have 
always  occupied.  The  charge  to  destroy  Amalek  and  to  enact  a 
covenant  in  ratification  of  the  law,  erecting  the  stelae  and  the 
altar  on  Ebal,  are  the  appropriate  legacy  of  Moses  in  his  last 
hours  to  the  people,  and  are  amply  supported  in  E  by  the  analogy 
of  Ex.  xvii.  14-16;  I  Sam,  xv.;  Ex.  xxiv.  3-8  and  Josh.  xxiv.  The 
fragment  xxxi.  i4f.,  23  is  presupposed  by  the  whole  subsequent 
narrative  of  E,  and  needs  no  vindication  of  its  right  to  the  place 
it  now  occupies.  How  much  then,  is  presupposed  between  the 
end  of  the  narrative  of  E,  where  we  could  last  identify  it  with 
certainty  and  Dt.  xxvii.  1-8  ?  It  is  true  that  Dt.  xxvii.  i-S  has 
been  thoroughly  recast  by  Rd,  but  if  it  had  not  been  adapted 
to  his  purpose  he  would  have  either  passed  it  over  or  written 
something  to  the  purpose  himself.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  its 
essential  character  of  directions  for  the  ratification  of  a  torah  of 
Moses  by  sacrifice  on  mount  Ebal  has  not  been  altered.  Traces 
of  the  same  conception  appear  also  ix\  vv.  11-26,  though  in  a 
different  sense  (cf.  xi.  29-32),  and  a  much  altered  account  of 
the  fulfilment  of  the  requirement  here  made  appears  in  Jos.  viii. 
30-35.  In  all  these  passages,  at  least  as  they  now  read,  the 
reference  is  to  Deuteronomy.  But  in  xxvii.  1-8  we  have  mate- 
rial, in  fact  the  whole  basis  of  the  paragraph,  which  goes  back  of 
Deuteronomy  to  E.  It  is  impossible  to  avoid  the  conclusion 
that  ///  E  also  before  the  charge  to  Joshua  there  was  a  torah  of 
Moses  given  to  the  people  in  the  j^lains  of  Moab  ;  there  was  a 
pre-Deuteronomic  Deuteronomy. 

This  result  does  not  follow  merely  from  the  presuppositions 
of  Dt.  xxvii.  1-8,  but  is  an  inevitable  consequence  of  Ex.  xxiv. 
12-14,  where  the  intention  certamly  is  not  merely  to  describe 
the  source  of  Moses'  judicial  wisdom  in  his  own  day,  but  the 
source  of  the  Mosaic  torah  of  the  writer  s  day,  as  of  divine 
authority.     If  Moses  did   not,  on    the   plains  of   Shittim,  before 


252  DE  U  TERONOM  V. 

the  installation  of  Joshua,  communicate  to  "  the  elders  of 
Israel  "  (Dt.  xxvii.  i)  the  statutes  and  judgments  given  him  of 
God  "that  he  might  teach  them"  (Ex.  xxiv.  12),  then  this 
invaluable  divine  font//  died  with  him.  P'or  it  is  not  communi- 
cated at  Horeb.  The  author  of  Dt.  v.  31-vi.  3  would  have  the 
Deuteronomic  Code  pass  for  this  law  ;  xxix.  i  positively  affirms 
that  there  was  such  a  "  Covenant  in  the  Land  of  Moab,  besides 
the  Covenant  made  in  Horeb."  If  E  did  not  relate  it,  then  in 
his  series  of  great  characters  Joseph,  Moses,  Joshua,  Samuel, 
Moses  alone,  Moses  the  lawgiver,  prophet  and  teacher  par 
excellence,  is  the  only  one  who  passes  off  the  stage  without  a 
final  address  to  the  people  adjuring  them  to  be  faithful  to  the 
divine  institutions.  Such  a  supposition  is  incredible.  Deuter- 
onomy itself  presupposes  its  predecessor.  Its  two  introductory 
discourses  were  suggested  hj  the  model  of  E's  farewell  dis- 
courses in  the  mouths  of  his  heroes,  most  of  all  by  that  which 
he  undoubtedly  put  in  the  mouth  of  Moses  himself  in  these 
very  circumstances.  Most  of  all  must  I)h  have  followed  the 
model  of  this  primitive  Deuteronomy  of  E,  to  the  extent  of 
giving  to  his  work,  especially  in  the  first  paragraphs,  so  pro- 
nounced an  E  coloration  as  to  make  it  seem  necessary  to  many 
critics  to  assume  that  in  addition  to  JE  combined  he  had  also 
before  him  the  document  E  in  the  separate  form  ! 

How  much  then  can  we  recover  of  this  primitive  Deuteronomy 
of  E  ?  Traces  of  the  narrative  which  preceded  and  followed 
the  code  itself  are  found  ///  situ.  Rd  preserved  them  at  the 
cost  of  a  good  deal  of  inconvenience.  Did  he  then  entirely 
reject  the  primitive  Mosaic  code  ?  On  the  contrary,  when 
superseded  l)y  the  revised  and  enlarged  etlition,  the  primitive 
Deuteronomy  went  to  take  its  place  in  the  midst  of  the  Horeb 
legislation,  as  a  i'>art  of  "  the  first  covenant  which  Yahweh  made 
with  the  people  at  Horeb."  There  we  found  it  somewhat 
incongruously  embedded  in  the  Hook  of  the  Covenant,  and 
obvio.usly  out  oi  place  with  its  separate  title,  "  Now  these  are 
the  judgments  which  thou  shalt  set  before  them"  ;  but  in  order 
to  preserve  its  character  of  a  corriKiii/  law  it  had  to  be  inserteil 
in   the  Book  of  the  Covenant    room  or  no  room. 


PROLEGOMENA.  Wi 

The  Deuteronomic  Code  with  its  double  envelope  Dp  and 
Dh  could  now  take  the  place  of  The  Book  of  Judgments  with 
some  adjustments  (by  Rd)  to  the  remaining  fragments  of  E, 
and  a  retouching  of  the  whole  work  JED,  especially  in  the 
legislative  parts  of  Exodus.  Then  finally,  when  P'  was  added, 
a  date  in  Dt.  i.  3ff.,  a  harmonistic  touch  in  iv.  41-43,  possibly 
some  modifications  of  xxvii.  14-26  and  a  resumption  of  Num. 
xxvii.  i2ff.  in  xxxii.  48-52  were  all  that  Rp  needed  to  add  before 
inserting  P's  notice  of  Moses'  death,  xxxiv.  7-9  in  the  JE  narra- 
tive of  xxxiii.  f. 

In  the  above  sketch  of  the  history  of  the  Deuteronomic  Code 
and  its  two  Introductions  and  Appendices  the  attempt  has  been 
made  to  convey  a  clear  idea  of  the  theory  on  which  we  proceed 
in  extricating  the  fragments  of  the  narrative  from  their  present 
connection  with  the  purely  legislative  work  of  Deuteronomy. 
It  is  not  our  present  purpose  to  defend  this  theory  of  Deuter- 
onomy, nor  to  demonstrate  the  existence  of  a  Dp  and  a  Dh. 
All  this  belongs  to  the  history  of  the  legal  element  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch. After  the  above  description  of  the  book  and  its 
history,  as  we  understand  it,  we  have  only  to  turn  to  the  pas- 
sages above  laid  claim  to  as  parts  of  the  narrative  JEP  and 
demonstrate  their  independence  of  the  context  in  which  they 
now  stand,  in  contrast  with  their  real  and  organic  connection 
with  the  Triple  Tradition  of  the  Exodus. 

§  VII.     (Narrative  parts  of  Deuteronomy).     The  Covenani'  in 
THE  Plains  of  Moah. 

The  mere  concluding  sentences  of  the  story  of  Moses'  life  in 
P2  are  found  in  Deuteronomy,  detached  from  their  necessary 
connection  with  Num.  xxvii.  12-23,  ^.nd  appended  to  Deuter- 
onomy by  a  few  lines  of  date  and  connection,  mainly  a  repeti- 
tion of  Num.  xxvii.  12-23,  supplied  by  R.  l"he  genuine  ele- 
ments derived  from  P^  simply  relate  the  death  of  Moses  and  the 
30  days'  mournings  as  in  Aaron's  case  (Num.  xx.  28f.)  ;  xxxiv. 
la  ;  5b  ;  also  how  Joshua  his  successor,  according  to  the 
promise  Num.  xxvii.  15-23,  is  filled  with  the  Spirit  of  Wisdom  ; 
vv.  7-9. 


254  DE  U  TERONOM  1 '. 

E  seems  to  have  had  an  itinerary  similar  to  Num.  xxxiii. 
which  may,  however,  have  been  displaced  from  between  Num. 
xii.  15  and  xx.  i.  If  it  stood  originally,  or  by  transfer  of  Rje, 
where  Num.  xxxiii.  now  stands,  i.  e.,  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
Story  of  the  Wilderness  Wandering,  the  presence  of  fragments  in 
the  early  part  of  Dh  may  be  understood  from  the  preceding  com- 
ments on  the  book  of  Deuteronomy  (see  above,  p.  250).  Either 
here,  or  before  Num.  xx.  i,  E  synopsized  the  journey  from 
Horeb  to  Kadesh  in  eleven  stages,  at  one  of  which,  Moserah, 
Aaron  died  and  was  buried,  Eleazar  his  son  succeeding  to  the 
priestly  office;  Dt.  i.  ib,  2;  x.  6f.  [In  the  plains  of  Shittim 
Moses  assembles  the  elders  of  Israel  (xxvii.  i)  and  all  the  peo- 
ple for  a  parting  address,  in  the  nature  of  Jos.  xxiv.  He  recapit- 
ulates the  Story  of  the  Wilderness  Wandering,  emphasizing 
•particularly  the  facts  relating  to  the  appointment  of  judges  and 
officers,  and  the  disobedience  of  the  people  at  Kadesh  which 
had  excluded  them  40  years  from  the  land  of  promise  and 
commands  vengeance  on  v^malek  (Dt.  i.  6-iii.  29  ;  xxv,  17- 
19).  He  is  now  about  to  deliver  to  them  the  tora/i  and  com- 
mandment he  received  at  Horeb  (Ex.  xxiv.  12-14)  ].  At  this 
point  followed  the  little  code  of  Mishpatim  under  the  title, 
'  These  are  the  Judgments  which  thou  shalt  set  before  them," 
communicated  by  Moses  to  elders,  judges,  officers  and  people 
as  the  principles  received  at  Horeb  for  the  permanent  adminis- 
tration of  social  order  ;  Ex.  xxi.  i-xxiii.  9.  The  address  was 
then  concluded  by  directions  to  the  "  elders  "  to  erect  on  mount 
Ebal,  after  conquest  of  the  land,  an  altar  according  to  the 
prescription  of  Ex.  xx.  24,  and  (twelve  ?)  stelae,  on  which  this 
primitive  "  law  of  the  twelve  tables  "  is  to  be  inscribed.  The 
ratification  of  this  new  covenant  is  to  be  celebrated  by  a  sacri- 
ficial feast  ;  and  a  covenant  by  the  people  on  Ebal  and  Gerizim. 
Dt.  xxvii.  1-8*;  11-13.  Thereafter  Yahweh  summons  Moses 
and  Joshua  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting  and  bestows  upon  the  latter 
a  charge  as  Moses'  successor  ;  xxxi.  i4f.  2g.  Moses  dies  in  the 
land  of  Moab,  but  his  sepulchre  is  unknown.  No  prophet  like 
'him  has  since  appeared  ;  xxxiv,  5a,  6b,  10. 

According  to    the  J  element    of    Deuteronomy,  when    Moses 


THE  ITINERARY,  AND  SECOND  LAW.  255 

had  given  inheritance  to  the  tribes  of  Reuben  and  Gad  (Num. 
xxxii.)  he  gathered  together  the  princes  and  triiies  of  Israel 
(Dt.  xxxiii.  5)  and  pronounced  upon  the  people  tribe  by  tribe 
such  a  blessing  as  that  which  in  the  mouth  of  Jacob  (Gen.  xlix.) 
concludes  the  first  epoch  of  the  sacred  history,  the  patriarchal 
period,  and  that  other  which  in  the  mouth  of  Deborah  (Jud.  v.) 
seems  to  mark  the  close  of  the  Conquest  of  Canaan  ;  Dt.  xxxiii. 
This  "  Blessing  of  Moses"  shows  a  similar  structure  to  the  "  Bles- 
sing of  Jacob,'' Gen.  xlix.,  and  even  an  unmistakable  dependence 
upon  it ;  perhaps  also  upon  the  Song  of  Balaam,  Num.  xxiv. 
Ascending  to  the  top  of  Pisgah  Moses  beholds  the  land  he  is 
forbidden  to  enter,  dies  there  and  is  buried  "  in  the  valley  in  the 
land  of    Moab,  over  against  Beth-peor"  ;   Dt.  xxxiv.  i  a/',  4,  6a. 

I.     Dt.  I.  iff ;  x.  6f.  ch.  xxvii.     The  Itinerary,  and  the  Second 
Law. 

ANALYSIS. 

The  opening  sentence  of  Deuteronomy  is  in  such  confusion  as  to  be 
unintelligible.  Vs.  3  is  intended  to  connect  the  book  with  the  scheme  of 
dates  of  P^,  though  it  not  only  has  no  connection  with  the  Priestly  Law- 
book but  is  constantly  found  in  irreconcilable  contradiction  with  it.  In 
addition  it  is  entirely  excluded  by  Num.  xxvii.  12  23,  which  leaves  no 
room  for  a  further  legislation  between  it  and  the  story  of  Moses'  death. 
We  may  therefore  strike  out  vs.  3  as  inserted  by  Rp.  Vv.  4  and  5  again 
bear  a  precisely  analogous  relation  to  JE.  The  words  are  doubly  super- 
fluous between  vs.  3  and  iv.  44-49,  looking  past  both  mtroductions,  chh. 
i.-iv.,  and  V.  xi.,  to  Deuteronomy  as  a  whole.  Preceded  by  vs.  la  they 
form  the  link  by  which  Rd  unites  Deuteronomy  to  the  '  prophetic  "  his- 
tory JE.  The  address  which  follows  in  vv.  6ff.  (Dh)  begins,  however, 
much  too  abruptly  to  have  come  from  the  same  hand,  and,  from  its 
character  cannot  have  been  mtended  to  follow,  but  only  to  replace,  the 
narrative  of  JE.  The  opening  words  of  vs.  i  as  far  as  "  beyond  Jordan 
in  the  wilderness  "  are  appropriate  enough,  and  connect  well  enough 
with  vs.  4  ;  but  what  can  be  made  of  ib  and  2  ?  "  Suph  "  is  not  prob- 
ably the  Red  Sea,  as  some  of  the  versions  make  it.  May  we  perhaps 
identify  it  with  "  Suphah,"  mentioned  in  the  song  quoted  by  E  in  Num. 
xxi.  14  ?  But  what  of  "  Paran  "  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  Gulf  of 
Akaba  or  somewhat  further  west,  the  place  from  which  the  wilderness  of 


256  DEUTEKOAOMV. 

that  ilk  is  named  ?  »  What  of  "  Tophel,"  some  rive  miles  north  of  Bozrah 
in  Edom,  southeast  of  the  Dead  Sea  ?  What  is  it  of  which  the  scene  is 
laid  "  between  Paran  and  Tophel  "  ?  These  words  would  well  describe 
the  extent  of  the  isthmus  between  the  Gulf  of  Akaba  and  the  Dead  Sea; 
but  what  have  they  to  do  with  the  "  plains  of  Moab  "  opposite  Jericho, 
the  scene  of  Deuteronomy?  What,  if  anything,  can  be  located"  "be- 
tween Paran  and  Tophel  and  Laban  (Num.  xxxiii.  20,  "  Libuah  ")  and 
Hazeroth  (Num.  xi.  35)  and  Di-zahab  "  ?  If  the  latter  places  mentioned 
define  the  locality,  is  it  not  superfluous  to  mention  the  former,  as  if  one 
should  say,  between  Jerusalem  and  Damascus,  and  Capernaum  and 
Bethsaida  and  Chorazin  ?  But  what,  above  all,  is  the  pertinence  of  vs. 
2,  giving  the  number  of  days'  journey  from  Horeb  to  Kadesh  ?  What 
connection  has  this  with  the  location  of  Moses'  address  opposite  Jericho  } 
It  is  40  years  since  Israel  went  from  Horeb  to  Kadesh,  and  since  the 
journey  was  made  thither  they  have  come  by  an  almost  opposite  course 
to  Shittim,  as  far  from  Kadesh  by  the  route  they  have  come  as  Damas- 
cus itself.  The  only  answer  that  can  be  given  to  the  question  is  simply^ 
there  is  no  connection.  The  latter  part  of  Dt.  i.  i,  and  vs.  2  is  an  erratic 
fragment.  The  phenomenon,  however,  has  a  parallel  in  x.  6f.  That  the 
relation,  or  lack  of  relation,  to  Dh  in  which  the  latter  is  given  may  be 
clearly  seen,  we  will  present  the  context. 

10      ""  At    that  time  Yahweh  said  unto   me,  Hew   thee  two  tables    of 
stone  like  unto  the    first,  and   come  up  unto  me    into  the    mount,  and 

2  make  thee  an  ark  of  wood.  And  I  will  write  on  the  tables  the  words 
that  were  on  the    first  tables  which  thou  brakest,  and  thou  shalt  put 

3  them  in  the  ark.  So  I  made  an  ark  of  acacia  wood,  and  hewed  two 
tables  of  stone  like  unto  the  first,  and  went  up  into  the  mount,  having 

4  the  two  tables  in  mine  hand.  And  he  wrote  on  the  tables,  according 
to  the  first  writing,  the  ten  commandments,  which  Yahweh  spake  unto 
you  in  the  mount  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire  in  the  day  of  the  assembly : 

5  and  Yahweh  gave  them  unto  me.  And  I  turned  and  came  down  from 
the  mount,  and  put  the  tables  in  the  ark  which  I  had  made  :  and  there 

6  they  be,  as  Yahweh  commanded  me. — And  the  children  of 
Israel  journeyed  from  i'>eeroth  I5enejaakan  to  Moserah  : 
there  Aaron  died,  and  there  he  was  buried  ;  and  l^leazar  his 

7  son  ministered  in  the  priest's  office  in  his  stead,  l-roin  thence 
they  journeyed  unto  (iudgodah  ;  and  from  Gudgodah  to  Jot- 

8  bathah,  a  land  of  brooks  of  water. — At  that  time  Yahweh 
separated  the  tribe  of  Levi,  to  bear  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  Yahweh, 


THE  ITINERARY,  AND  SECOND  LAW.  2r>7 

to  stand  before  Yahweh  to  minister  unto    him,  and  to  bless   in  his 
name,  unto  this  day.     Wherefore  Levi  hath  no  portion  nor  inheritance     9 
with  his  brethren  ;  Yahweh    is  his   inheritance,  according  as  Yahweh 
thy  God  spake  unto  him.     And  1  stayed  in  the  mount,  as  at  the   first  10 
time,  forty  days  and  forty  nights  :  and  Yahweh   hearkened  unto  me 
that  time  also  ;  Yahweh  would    not  destroy  thee.     And  Yahweh  said  1 1 
unto  me.  Arise,  take  thy  journey  before  the  people  ;  and  they  shall  go 
in  and  possess  the  land,  which  I  sware  unto  their  fathers  to  give  unto 
them." 

We  are  familiar  with  the  story  to  which  vv.  1-5,  8-1 1  refer  in  Ex. 
xxxii.  and  xxxiv.;  for  the  separation  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  here  referred  to 
is  that  of  Ex.  xxxii.  25  29,  referred  to  again  in  Dt.  xxxiii.  8f.;  the  situa- 
tion in  vs.  10  shows  this  very  clearly,  even  if  we  had  not  the  second 
person  ("  thy  God  ")  in  vs.  9.  and  the  characteristic  "  at  that  time  "  of  Dh 
{eleven  times  in  chh.  i.-iv.)  in  vv.  i  and  8,  to  show  that  the  parenthesis 
must  be  closed  after  vs.  7,  and  not  where  the  R.  V.  closes  it  after  vs.  9. 
Into  the  connection  of  Moses'  discourse,  where  he  is  reminding  Israel  of 
what  occurred  "  at  that  time,"  when  they  were  in  Horeb,  breaks  in,  with- 
out any  warning  or  occasion  whatever,  a  section  speaking  of  the  children 
of  Israel  in  the  third  person,  which  describes  a  part  of  the  journey  in  the 
wilderness  and  the  death  of  Aaron  and  investiture  of  his  son  Eleazar  at 
Moserah  !  If  there  is  any  connection  at  all,  it  is  the  mere  fact  that  vv. 
6f.  and  8f.  both  have  something  to  do  with  the  priests'  office.  One  must 
be  credulous  indeed  to  suppose  that  the  writer  of  the  surrounding  con- 
text (Dh)  himself  put  it  here,  making  nonsense  of  his  own  work. 
Whence  then,  is  it  and  what  ?  It  does  not  come  from  Dp,  nor  from  the 
hand  of  P,  nor  is  it  likely  to  have  been  inserted  after  Deuteronomy  came 
into  union  with  P  ;  for  nothing  could  be  more  flatly  in  contradiction  with 
the  plain  statement  of  the  priestly  writer  as  to  when  and  where  and  how 
the  death  of  Aaron  took  place  (cf.  Num.  xx.  22-29),  and  the  usual  har- 
monistic  expedient  of  a  double  occurrence  of  the  same  event  this  time 
will  not  apply.  Moreover  the  names  of  the  stations,  though  similar  to 
the  corresponding  list  of  Num.  xxxiii.  30-33,  which  we  know  to  be  de- 
pendent upon  P,  are  at  the  same  time  so  different  that  it  cannot  possibly 
originate  from  the  priestly  element.  But  knowing  as  we  do  that  E 
afforded  an  itinerary  (cf.  Num.  xxi.  i2ff.)  drawn  up  in  this  form,  a  differ- 
ent form  from  P's ;  finding,  as  we  do  in  Jos.  xxiv.  33,  that  the  death  and 
burial  of  "  Eleazar  the  priest,  the  son  of  Aaron,"  is  subsequently  related 
by  E,  who  consequently  must  have  related  Aaron's  death  and  the  succes- 
sion of  Eleazar  to  "  the  priest's  office."  and  probably  defined   the  place  of 


858  l^E  U  TEROXl  )M  1  \ 

Aaron's  burial  (cf.  I)t.  xxxiv.  6b  ;  Jos.  xxiv.  30,  32,  33),  the  probability  is 
very  strong  that  Ut.  x.  6f.  is  a  fragment  of  this  itinerary  of  E  ;  and,  since 
in  i.  lb,  2  a  similar  erratic  block  has  been  already  found,  and  moreover 
there  is  good  reason  to  think  that  x.  i-i  i  (Dh)  belongs  as  a  whole  before 
i.  6ff.  (Dili  it  is  further  in  the  highest  degree  probable  that  the  erratic 
fragment  in  i.  ib,  2,  containing  only  a  list  of  names  and  the  statement  of 
the  number  of  stations  from  Horeb  to  Kadesh  is  part  of  the  same  itinerary. 

How  could  these  erratic  blocks  of  E  get  here  at  the  beginning  of  Deu- 
teronomy ?  I  can  suggest  but  one  way,  viz  :  that  they  always  were 
here  ;  or  at  least  were  here  before  the  present  Deuteronomy  with  its  envel- 
opes was  taken  up  into  JED.  If  the  primitive  Deuteronomy  of  E  was 
preceded,  lik«  our  present  Deuteronomy,  by  an  itinerary  recapitulating 
the  wilderness  wandering  similar  to  Num.  xxxiii.,  whether  removed  by 
Rje  from  after  Num.  xii.,  or  originally  in  this  position,  the  fragment  in  i. 
lb,  2  might  well  be  a  remnant  of  it,  describing  the  road  from  Horeb  to 
Kadesh  as  passing  "  between  Paran  and  Tophel,"  and  leading  to  the 
stations  Laban,  Hazeroth  and  Di-zahab.  Beeroth-bene-jaakan,  IVIoserah, 
Gudgodah  and  Jotbatha.  As  Dt.  i.  2  seems  to  conclude  the  account  of 
the  journey,  we  may  perhaps  assume  that  x.  6f.  originally  preceded  it. 
Another  fragment  preserved  by  Rd.  is  xxv.  17-19,  which  as  to  content 
has  no  relation  to  Deuteronomy,  but  a  close  one  with  E.  It  even  shows 
his  language  (see  refs.).  though  like  .xxvii.  1-8  expanded  by  Rd.  It 
would  seem  to  be  a  remnant  of  Moses'  discourse. 

It  is  -not  necessary  after  what  has  been  said  already  in  connection  with 
the  Book  of  Judgments,  Ex.  xxi.  f.,  and  in  the  general  discussion  of  Deuter- 
onomy as  a  whole,  to  point  out  that  this  book  with  its  two  introductions 
forms  an  independent  work  with  a  style  eminently  peculiar  to  itself,  and 
having  had  a  long  and  interesting  history  of  its  own  (II  Kings  xxi.  ff.)  be- 
fore its  incorporation  with  JE.  It  is  mainly  for  the  following  reasons 
that  we  conclude  that  originally  the  place  now  occupied  by  Deuteronomy 
was  filled  by  a  recapitulatory  discourse  of  Moses  similar  to  Jos.  xxiv., 
which  introduced  as  the  Second  Law.  the  Book  of  Judgments,  Ex.  xxi.  f.  : 

I".  Deuteronomy  it.self  presupposes  the  existence  of  such  a  tradition.  It 
claims  to  present  the  commandments  and  teachings  which  Moses  com- 
municated to  the  people  in  the  plains  of  Moab  "  besides  the  covenant 
which  Yahweh  made  with  them  at  Horeb  ";  in  fact  the  nucleus  of  this 
second  law  is  the  Book  of  Judgments,  practically  all  of  which  is  taken  up 
by  D  in  a  revised  form.  2".  E  itself  looks  forward  to  a  deliverance  of 
this  kind  in  the  "  fora/i  and  commandment  "  received  by  Moses,  Ex. 
xxiv.  12  14.  "that  thou  mayest  teach  them  "  to  the  people.  3".  The 
Book  of  Judgments   is  egregiously    out  of  place   where   it   now  stands, 


THE  1  IIA'KRARV,  A  XL)  S  ECO  XL)  LAW.  259 

interrupting  the  connection  of  the  Boot:  of  the  Covenant  ;  whereas  its 
whole  character  as  a  law  for  settled  agricultural  life,  a  life  of  fields  and 
vineyards,  houses  and  lands,  sanctuaries  and  altars,  is  such  as  to  make 
it  appropriate  only  when  the  people  are  about  to  enter,  if  not  already 
entered,  upon  the  possession  of  the  land.  4".  At  the  close  of  Joshua's 
career,  and  that  of  Samuel  in  E,  and,  in  less  degree,  of  Joseph's,  the 
occasion  is  used  for  such  a  recapitulation  as  this  of  Yahweh's  providen- 
tial guidance,  and  an  adjuration  of  the  people  to  fidelity  to  him.  We 
should  expect  the  most  important  address  of  the  kind  to  come  at  the 
farewell  of  Moses.  5".  We  find  fragments  of  the  narrative  of  E  at  the 
beginning  and  end  of  Deuteronomy,  which  have  no  connection  with  the 
book  itself.  We  have  now  to  add  :  6".  Dt.  xxvii.  is  one  of  these  frag- 
ments of  E,  unconnected  with  the  work  of  D  ;  and  this  chapter  presup- 
poses that  Moses  has  just  been  communicating  a  torali  which  could  be 
inscribed  on  great  stones  as  a  national  inheritance. 

In  this  instance  we  find  the  E  material  retouched  and  in  a  measure 
adapted  to  the  conte.xt.  But  the  position  of  the  chapter  is  a  very  singu- 
lar one.  In  chh.  xxviii.  ff.  we  have  an  inculcation  of  obedience  to  the  law^ 
just  given,  because  Yahweh  will  bless  obedience,  but  visit  a  disobedient 
nation  with  fearful  curses.  In  fact  the  first  14  verses  of  ch.  x.xviii.  alone 
comprise  the  blessing,  whereas  the  54  verses  following  scarcely  sufifice 
to  describe  the  terrors  of  the  curse ;  and  even  so  we  do  not  reach  the 
end,  for  in  two  more  chapters,  xxixf.,  the  theme  is  resumed,  and  here  it 
is  even  taken  for  granted  that  the  curse  and  not  the  blessmg  will  be 
Israel's  portion,  and  a  promise  of  return  from  exile  is  given  on  condition 
of  repentance.  In  all  this  tht preac/ier  (Dp)  is  in  his  element.  But  ch. 
xxvii.,  which  describes  two  different  ceremonies  for  the  ratification  of  the 
law,  takes  a  different  course,  one  which  connects  it  with  the  /n'stoty  JE. 
What  follows  it  is  even  rendered  less  effective  by  being  separated  from 
the  matter  to  which  it  applies.  In  xxviii.  58,  61  ;  xxix.  2of.  ;  xxx.  10  the 
law  referred  to  is  one  written  in  a  book.  In  ch.  x.xvii.  it  has  just  been 
communicated  orally,  and  is  to  be  w-ritten  on  stones  at  Shechem.  Ch. 
xxvii.  is  therefore  not  preliminary  to  .xxxi.  9-13  ;  for  if  it  w^ere  we  should 
at  least  find  it  in  the  same  connection,  not  before,  but  after  the  blessing 
and  curse,  which  are  the  penalty  clause  of  the  law.  It  is  a  parallel  to 
xxxi.  9-13  ;  and  its  sequel  in  Jos.  viii.  30-35  is  parallel  to  xxxi.  24-30, 
where,  moreover,  (vs.  28),  the  elders  and  officers  are  not  already  before 
Moses,  as  in  xxvii.  i,  but  have  yet  to  be  assembled.  Finally  xxvii.  1-8 
belongs  clearly  to  the  hzstory,  more  than  to  the  law  in  itself  considered, 
being  connected  on  the  one  side  with  Ex.  xx.  24  (cf.  Dt.  xxvii.  5f.)  and 
on  the  other  with  Jos.  viii.  30-35. 


260  DEUTENOXOMV. 

In  like  manner  the  blessing  and  cursing  of  xxvii.  11-26  is  obviously 
a  parallel,  and  not  a  preliminary,  to  the  blessing  and  curse  of  chh.  xxixff. 
Here  too  the  scene  is  Shechem,  as  in  vv.  1-8;  moreover  in  vs.  12  Levi, 
as  in  the  most  ancient  part  of  the  Pentateuch  (Gen.  xxxiv.  30;  xlix.  5),  is 
placed  on  a  footing  of  equality  with  the  secular  tribes,  which  is  contrary  to 
the  whole  attitude  of  Deuteronomy,  and  even  more  so  toward  that  of  the 
later  writings.  True,  vv.  14-26  are  conceived  in  the  spirit  of  the  priestly 
post-exilic  period,  and  presuppose  the  legislation  of  P^  and  D,  if  not  P'-. 
We  must  assign  them  to  Rd  if  not  to  Rp.  But  vv.  14-26  are  a  foreign 
attachment  to  vv.  11  13,  or  rather  a  late  expansion  thereof.  Levi  in  vs. 
12  has  not  this  independent,  priestly  part  to  play,  and  the  whole  concep- 
tion of  how  six  tribes  are  to  bless  the  people  and  six  to  curse  them  in  vv. 
11-13  is  different  from  that  of  vv.  14-26,  where  this  part  is  taken  away 
from  the  tribes  and  given  to  the  Levites.  Finally  even  vv.  11  -13  though 
clearly  referring  to  the  same  event  as  xi.  29f.  (Dp)  are  not  in  harmony 
with  them.  It  is  quite  clear  that  the  nucleus  of  ch.  xxvii.  is  ancient 
material  from  the  "  prophetic "  narrative,  worked  over  by  a  very  late 
hand  (Rd)  and  attached  to  Deuteronomy  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  is 
more  than  superfluous  there.  Whence  then  is  this  material  derived  ? 
There  is  but  one  writer  of  the  Hexateuch  for  whom  Shechem  is  the 
religious  centre,  or  who  would  even  dream  of  locating  there  the  formal 
adoption  of  the  national  Mosaic  institutions,  and  that  is  E  (cf.  e.g.  Jos. 
xxiv.).  There  is  but  one  writer,  if  any,  who  treats  Levi  after  Ex.  xxxii. 
as  a  secular  tribe  ;  and  that  is  E.  There  is  but  one  to  whom  the  direc- 
tions for  the  altar  and  sacrificial  feast  in  mouttt  Ebal  (.')  can  be  assigned  ; 
and  that  is  the  author  of  Ex.  xx.  24f..  already  shown  to  be  E.  In  short, 
no  course  is  open  to  the  critic  save  to  recognize  that  the  primitive  mate- 
rial of  ch.  xxvii.  belongs  to  E  ,  and  if  so  this  furnishes  further  confirma- 
tion of  our  decision  in  regard  to  the  fragments  preceding. 

As  to  the  manner  in  which  this  material  has  been  adjusted  to  the  sur- 
rounding Denteronomic  context,  we  need  only  point  out  that  the  passage 
has  clearly  been  retouched  to  fit  it  for  the  present  context,  (see  note  /;/ 
/oc),  doubtless  by  the  same  hand  as  xxvi.  16-19,  where  (vs.  19)  the  late 
verse,  Ex.  xix.  6,  is  referred  to,  and  the  writer  (Rd)  leads  over  from  the 
Denteronomic  context  to  the  idea  of  the  covenant  in  xxvii.  1  8.  On  the 
other  hand  xxvii.  gf.,  which  are  missed  before  xxviii.  i,  may  well  be 
original  with  Dp.  The  Denteronomic  character  of  these  verses  is  so 
plain  from  the  style  and  language  as  to  be  unmistakable  even  in  transla- 
tion and  to  the  tyro.  Vv.  9f.,  accordingly,  we  may  here  pass  over.  On 
the  other  hand  we  have  all  the  material  derived  from  E  in  xxvii.  1-8, 
ir-26,  and   in   xxvi.  lO   19  we  havr  the  link   c(jnncccing    it  with    Dcuter- 


1.4.  THE  ITIXERARV,  AND  SECOND  LAW.  261 

onomy.  That  which  is  clear,  finally,  from  the  moment  that  the  basis  of 
ch.  xxvii.  is  admitted  to  be  E's,  is  that  our  Deuteronomy  has  taken  the 
place  of  a  Second  Law  of  Moses  in  the  plains  of  Shittim,  a  law  to  be 
written  on  great  stones  in  Ebal,  and  there  to  be  ratified  by  the  people,  in 
solemn  sacrificial  feast  and  covenant  ;  for  this  is  the  significance  not 
only  of  the  sacrificial  meal  of  vs.  7,  but  also,  no  doubt,  of  the  ceremony 
on  Ebal  and  Gerizim  (cf.  Jer.  xxxiv.  i8f.  and  Gen.  xv.  10,  17).  This 
book  of  the  law  of  this  second  covenant  we  infer  to  have  been  that  given 
to  Moses  at  Horeb  during  his  40  days'  sojourn  in  the  mount,  and  pre- 
served to  us,  for  the  most  part  if  not  entire,  under  the  title  "  These  are 
the  Judgments  "  in  Ex.  xxi.-xxiii.  9.  In  one  more  respect  then  the  writer 
of  Hilkiah's  law-book  with  its  terrible  curses  (2  Kings  xxii.)  was  true  to 
tradition  ,  and  Jeremiah  also,  in  reminding  the  people  how  they  them- 
selves and  all  their  princes  and  nobles  had  ratified  the  covenant  of  Yah- 
weh's  law  by  passing  between  the  severed  parts  of  the  sacrificial  calf, 
referred  to  no  recent  or  doubtful  claim,  but  to  the  immemorial  belief  and 
tradition  of  his  day. 


(Rd)     These  be    the  words  which  Moses   spake  unto  all  Israel  beyond 
Jordan    in    the    wilderness,    in    the    Arabah    over    against    Suph,   [  .  .   .  ] 

(E)  between  Paran,  and  Tophel,  and  ^Laban,  and  -^Hazeroth, 
and  Di-zahab.  It  is  eleven  days'  [journey]  from  Horeb  ^by 
the    way    of    *mount    Seir    unto     Kadesh-barnea.*    [  ■  ■  •  ] 

(Rp)  ''And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  fortieth  year,  in  the  eleventh  month,  on  the 
first  day  of  the  month,  that  Moses  spake  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  according 
unto  all  that  Yahweh  had  given  him  in  commandment  nnto  them, 
(Rd)  *^after  he  had  smitten  Sihon,  the  king  of  the  Amorites,  which  dwelt  in 
Heshbon,  and  Og  the  king  of  Bashan,  which  dwelt  in  Ashtaroth,  at  Edrei  be- 
yond Jordan,  in  the  land  of  Moab,  began  Moses  to  declare  this  law,  saying.t 


:2o.    2Mu. 
) :  I.    •'4  :  46  ; 


*  Kadesh-barnea  is  the  form  usually  employed  by  D  (but  cf.  vs.  46)  and  we 
do  not  find  it  outside  of  Deuteronomic  passages.  E,  however,  may  have  used 
it  when  speaking  of  Kadesh  in  such  a  connection  as  the  present,  though  else- 
where he  employs  simply  "  Kadesh,"  or  Rd  may  have  added  "  barnea  "  here. 
Still  the  assignment  of  vs.  2  to  E  must  be  admitted  to  be  very  doubtful,  and 
depends  mainly  on  the  fact  that  the  passage  has  no  other  intelligible  con- 
nection than  with  the  itinerary  from  Horeb  to  Kadesh. 

t   Vv.  4f.  appear  to  connect  with  la,  and  afford  a  curious  parallel  to  iv.  44ff. 


262  DEUTERONOMY.  X.  6. 

10 — 6  (E) — 'And  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed  from  Beeroth 
Benejaakan  to  Moserah:  -there  Aaron  died,  and  there  he  was 
buried  ;  and  ^Eleazar  his  son  ministered  in  the  priest's  otifice 

7     in  his  stead.      From  thence  they  journeyed  unto  ■'(ludgodah  ; 
and    from    Gudgodah   to    Jotbathah,    a    land    of    brooks    of 
water. — * 
******** 

25 — 17       (E)    [  •  ■  •  ]    'Remember    what    Amalek     did     unto 

18  thee  by  the  way  as  ye  come  forth  out  of  Kgypt  ;  how  he 
met  thee    by    the    way,  and  smote    the    hindmost    of    thee, 

(Rd)  all  that  were  feeble  behind  thee,  when   thou  wast    faint    and  weary; 

19  and  he  -feared  not  God.  Therefore  it  shall  be,  when  Yahweh 
thy  God  hath  ''given  thee  rest  from    all    thine    enemies    round 

about,  in  the  land  which  Yahweh  thy  God  giveth  thee  for    an   inheritance 

to  possess  it,  that  *thou  shalt  blot  out  the  remembrance  of  Am- 
alek from  under  heaven  ;   thou  shalt  not  forget. f 
******** 

26 — 16  (Rd)  iThis  day  Yahweh  thy  God  commandeth  thee  to  do  these 
statutes  and  judgments  :  thou  shalt    therefore    keep  and  do  them  with  all 

I  7  thine  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul.  Thou  hast  avouched  Yahweh  this  day 
to  be  thy  God,  and  that  thou  shouldest  walk  in  his  ways,  and  Iceep  his  stat- 

'Nu.  26  :  i2f  ;  33  :  30-33.  -Ct.  Nu.  20  :  22ff.  3108.24:33.  -^Nu.  33  :  32f.  'i  Sam.  15: 
20.      2Ex.  I  :  17   and    refs.      ^i  .Sam.  12:    11.     ■'Ex.  17  :  14;  i  Sam.  ch.  15.     Ui  :  32. 

In  order  to  connect  the  recapitulatory  address  of  I)h,  which  formed  the  outer 
envelope  of  Deuteronomy,  with  JE,  it  was  necessary  to  introduce  some  such 
date.  In  removing  x.  i-n  from  this  connection  to  its  present  position  Rd  was 
no  doubt  influenced  by  its  relation  to  ch.  i.\.  (Dp)  as  well  as  by  a  desire  to 
supply  the  sequel  to  the  story  of  the  Apostasy. 

*  From  the  name  Jotbathah,  taken  to  mean  "  excellent  in  water."  For  the 
connection,  or  rather  complete  lack  of  connection  of  this  fragment  see  above, 
Analysis  p.  256.  The  reinstatement  of  Aaron  to  the  priestly  office  presuppo.sed 
here  and  in  Jos.  x.xiv.  33  must  be  understood  to  have  taken  place  after  Ex. 
xxxii.  33,  as  Dt.  ix.  20  in  fact  declares  it  did,  referring  to  something  not  pre- 
served in  the  narrative.  In  Ex.  xviii.  12  also,  a  passage  certainly  to  be  placed 
later  in  than  Ex.  xxxii.,  Aaron  appears  in  good  favor.  All  these  passages  con- 
firm the  idea  of  Kuenen,  Coniill  rt  al.,  attributing  Ex.  xxxii.  1-6,  16-24,  3"-34 
to  an  1'".'^ 

t  Ch.     XXV.  17-19  has  been  taken  up  by  Rd  from  the  discourse  of  Moses. 


XXVll.  8.     THE  ITIXERARY,  AND  SECOND  LAW.  2t)3 

iites,    and    bis    coniiiiaiulmeii ts,    and    his    jutigments,  and    haiken   unto  his 
voice:  and  \'ahweh -'hath  avouched  thee  this  day    to  be    a  peculiar  people  J  8 
unto  himself,  as  he  -'hath  promised  thee,  and  that  thou  shouldest  keep    all 
his  commandments  ;  and    to    make    thee  ^liigh   above  all    nations  which  he  1 9 
hath  made,  in  praise,  and  in  name,  and  in   honor;  and    that  thou  mayest  be 
an  holy  people  unto  Vahweh  thy  God,  "as  he  hath  spoken.* 

(E)  [  .  •  ■  ]  ^And  Moses    and  the  elders  of  Israel  com-  27 
(Rd)   manded  the    people,   saying,  '^Keep  all  the  commandment 
which  I  command  you  this  day.     And  it  shall  be  on  the  day  when  ye  shall     2 
pass  over  Jordan  unto  the  land  which  Yahweh    thy    God    giveth   thee,  that 
thou  shalt  set  thee  up  great  stones,  and  plaister  them  with  jilaister  :  and  thou     ^ 
shalt  write  upon  them  all  the  words  of  tliis  law,  when  thou  art  passed  over; 
^that  thou  mayest  go  in  unto  the  land  which  Yahweh  thy  (iod  giveth  thee, 
a  land   flowing    with  milk  and    honey,  as    Yahweh,  the  God  of  thy  fathers, 
(E)  hath  promised  thee.     And  *it  shall  be  when  ye  are  passed    4 
over    Jordan,  that  ye   shall    ^set  up  these    stones,  vvhich  I  com- 
mand you  this  day,  in  ^mount  Ebal,  and  thou  shalt  plaister  them 
with    plaister.     "And   there   shalt   thou    build   an    altar   unto     5 
Yahweh  thy  God,  an   altar  of   stones:   thou    shalt    lift    up   no 
[tool  iron]  upon  them.     Thou  shalt  build  the  altar  of  Yahweh    6 
thy  God   of  unhewn   stones  :  and  thou  shalt  offer  burnt  offer- 
ings  thereon    unto  ^'ahweh  thy  (iod :    and    thou    shalt    sacrifice     7 
peace  offerings,  and  shall  eat  there  ;   and  thou  shalt  rejoice  before 
Yahweh  thy  God.     And  thou  shalt  write  upon  the  stones  all  the     8 
words  of  this  law  very  "^plainly. f 

^7  :  6  ;  14  :  2  ;  28  :  9.  ^Ex.  10  :  5!".  •'4  :  qi.  :  28  :  i.  ^E.x.  19  :  6.  >Jos.  24  ;  i.  =26  :  i6f. 
etc.  3-  ;  16  ;  10  :  q.  -ijos.  8  :  30-35.  ^Jos.  24  :  26.  "Ct.  n  :  29.  "E.\.  20  :  24  ;  24  :  s  ; 
32  :  6.     «!  :  5. 

*  Vv.  16-19  introduce  the  directions  for  the  covenant  in  ch.  xxvii.  Their 
position,  character,  language  (see  refs.)  and  purpose  all  show  them  to  be  Rd's, 
and  the  references  in  vv.  i8f.  to  Ex.  xi.x.  5f.  show  their  origin  to  have  been 
even  later  than  the  latter. 

t  The  passage  providing  for  the  solemn  ratification  of  a  covenant  at  Shec- 
hem  similar  to  that  at  Horeb  (Ex.  xxiv.  3-8),  which  Rd  has  here  adopted  as  a 
suitable  conclusion  to  the  Deuteronomic  law,  has  naturally  been  very  thor- 
oughly retouched  bv  him,  like  the  story  of  its  fulfillment  in  Jos.  viii.  30-35. 
Still  the  additions  of  Rd,  recognizable  both  from  their  redundancy  (cf.  li.  with 
4)    and  from  the  style  and  language,  scarcely  affect  the  substance  of  the  para- 


264  DEUTERONOMY.  XX\II.  ii. 

11  And    Moses   charged    the    people    the    same    day,  saying, 

12  'These  shall  stand  upon  mount  Gerizim  to  bless  the  people, 
when    ye  are    passed    over    Jordan  ;  Simeon    and  Levi,  and 

13  Judah,  and  Issachar,  and  Joseph,  and  Benjamin  :  and  these 
shall  stand  upon  mount  Ebal  for  the  curse  ;  Reuben,  Gatl, 

14  (Rd)  and  Asher,  and  Zebulun,  Dan,  and  Naphtali.  And  the 
Levites  shall  answer,  and  say  unto  all  the  men  of  Israel  with  a  loud  voice, 

\c  Cursed  be  the  man  that  maketh  a  '"graven  or  molten  image,  an  abomina- 
tion unto  Yahweh,  the  i%ork  of  the  hands  of  the  craftsman,  and  setteth  it 
up  in  secret.     And  all  the  people  shall  answer  and  say,  Amen. 

16  i^Cursed  be  he  that  setteth  light  by  his  father  or  his  mother.  And  all 
the  people  shall  say,  Amen. 

ly  i^Cursed  be  he  that  removeth  his  neighbor's  landmark.  And  all  the 
people  shall  say,  Amen. 

18  '^Cursed  be  he  that  maketh  the  blind  to  wander  out  of  the  way.  And  all 
the  people  shall  say,  Amen. 

ip  '^Cursed  be  he  that  wresteth  the  JLidgnient  <jf  the  stranger,  fatherless,  and 
widow.     And  all  the  people  shall  say,  Amen. 

20  '•'Cursed  be  he  that  lieth  with  his  father's  wife  ;  because  he  hath  uncov- 
ered his  father's  skirt.     And  all  the  people  shall  say.  Amen. 

21  ''Cursed  be  he  that  lieth  with  any  manner  of  beast.  And  all  the  people 
shall  say,  Amen. 

22  '**Cursed  be  he  that  lieth  with  his  sister,  the  daughter  of  his  father,  or  the 
daughter  of  his  mother.     And  all  the  people  shall  say.  Amen. 

23  '^Cursed  be  he  that  lieth  with  his  mother  in  law.  And  all  the  people 
shall  say,  Amen. 

24  20Curyeci|3e  he  that  smiteth  his  neighbor  in  secret.  And  all  the  people 
shall  say,  Amen. 

25  2iCursed  be  he  that  taketh  reward  to  slay  an  innocent  person.  And  all 
the  people  shall  say,  .\nien. 

;  Lev.  19:4.  I'ls.  40:  igff.  "'Ex.  21  :  15,17.  >'i9:i4. 
'Lev.  18  :  8  ;  20  :  11.  "Ex.  22  :  ig  ;  Lev.  i8  :  i\  ;  20  :  15. 
:  17  ;  20  :  14.   soEx.  21  :  u,  14  ;  Lev.  24  :  17.     >'Ex.  23  :  ^i. 

graph.  In  vs.  i  we  should  read  with  Dillmann  :  "  And  Moses  commanded  the 
elders  of  Israel  ";  LXX.  omit  "  the  )ieople  "  ;  cf.  vs.  11,  Moses'  charge  to  llie 
people. 


»Jer.  34  ; 

;  .8f.      >»Ex.  20  :  4, 

'Lev.  .9  : 

14.    i^Ex.  22  :2if. 

'Lev.  18: 

9  ;  20  :  17.    "Lev 

XXVII.  26.  THE  CHARuE   TO  JOSHUA.  265 

■■"Cursed   be   he    that  cunfirmeth    not    the  words  of  this  law  to  do  them.  26 
And  all  the  people  shall  say,  Amen.* 


2.     Dt.  XXX.  if.     Thk  Charge  to  Joshua. 

ANALYSIS. 

In  Dt.  XXX.  if.,  after  the  hortatory  appendix  to  the  Code,  we  begin  to 
find  traces  of  the  resumption  of  the  narrative.  These  however  are  inter- 
mingled with  elements  clearly  belonging  to  the  Code,  or  rather  to  its 
envelope  Dh,  which  it  is  not  our  purpose  to  touch,  since  the  legislation  is 
here  more  than  ever  independent  of  the  narrative.  To  Dh,  and  to  his 
successor,  the  author  of  ch.  iv.,  belongs  the  "  Song  of  Moses,"  xx.xii.  i- 
44;  its  double  introduction,  xxxi.  16-22  and  24-30;  and  the  verses, 
xxxii.  45-47.  which  bring  the  Law-book  of  Dh  to  a  close.  The  passage 
Dt.  xxxi.  9-13  has  the  same  function  and  must  accordingly  be  from 
another  hand  (Dpi;  but  it  is  also  purely  related  to  the  law-book.  All 
this  material  therefore  must  be  treated  in  a  different  connection.  The 
remaining  portions  of  the  concluding  chapters  of  Deuteronomy  belong 
more  or  less  strictly  to  the  Tradition  of  the  Exodus.  In  xxx.  1-8,  we 
have,  beyond  dispute,  the  link  which  attaches  Deuteronomy  at  its  latter 
part  to  the  Story  of  the  Conquest,  as  i.  la,  4f.  at  its  beginning  attached 
it  to  the  Story  of  the  Wilderness  Wandering.  Moses  announces  to  the 
people  his  own  impending  death,  and  presents  to  them  Joshua  as  his 
successor,  giving  him  a  charge,  and  assuring  him  of  Yahvveh's  presence 
and  irresistible  aid  in  the  conquest.  The  passage  is  unmistakably  by 
the  same  hand  as  that  which  has  given  to  Joshua  i.  its  present  form  ; 
the  agreement  is  in  fact  to  a  great  extent  verbal.  The  relation  to  the 
editor  who  attaches  Deuteronomy  to  JE  in  i.  la,  4f.  is  also  clear  from 
the  style.  There  will  be  no  difference  of  opinion  among  critics  in 
ascribing  the  passage  to  Rd. 

Connected  in  a   way  with  this   charge  to  Joshua  are  the  remarkable 

2=Jer.  II  13. 

*  It  is  very  obvious  from  the  references  that  the  writer  of  vv.  14-26  is 
acquainted  with  all  the  older  codes  of  the  Pentateuch,  the  Miskpatim  lE),  Law 
of  Holiness  (PM  and  Deuteronomy.  Reasons  have  already  been  given  above 
(Analysis  p.  260.)  for  regarding  vv.  14-26  as  much  later  than  ir-13.  But  it  is 
not  impossible  that  they  are  written  on  the  basis  of  the  original  sequel  to  vv. 
II-13. 


266  DEU TEROXOM  i '. 

verses  xxxi.  14!. ,  23 ;  for  in  spite  of  some  striking  differences  in  the  con- 
ception both  passages  are  adapted  to  lead  over  to  the  Story  of  the  Con- 
quest by  relating  the  Charge  to  Joshua.  That  vv.  [4f.,  23  have  no 
original  connection  with  1-8  is  very  clear.  Their  separation  by  vv.  9-13 
might  indeed  be  accidental  ;  but  in  vv.  i-8  the  charge  is  given  by  Moses, 
in  vv.  i4f.,  23  by  Ya/nuch.  In  vv.  1-8  Moses  has  already  presented 
Joshua  to  the  people  as  his  successor ;  whereas  in  I4f.,  23  Moses  has  yet 
to  call  him  and  be  informed  by  Yahweh  that  Joshua  has  been  chosen  to 
take  his  place.  Vv.  i4f.,  23  again  have  no  connection  with  the  context 
in  which  they  stand  (Dh),  nor  with  the  preceding  passage  (Dp).  They 
appear  very  much  in  the  same  relation,  or  rather  want  of  relation,  as  the 
erratic  blocks  in  chh.  i.  x.,  .\xv.  and  xxvii.  Vv.  9-13  bring  the  book  of 
Deuteronomy  to  a  full  stop  with  directions  for  its  perpetual  preservation 
and  inculcation  to  the  everlasting  benefit  of  Israel.  Vs.  14  abruptly 
introduces  the  charge  to  Joshua.  Still  worse  is  it  with  vv.  16-22. 
Right  in  the  midst  of  this  charge  to  Joshua  comes  the  first  introduction 
to  the  Song  of  Moses.  In  vs.  15  Yahweh  has  descended  in  the  cloud  at 
the  door  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  announcing  that  he  is  about  to  give  a 
charge  to  Joshua.  The  latter  now  stands  beside  Moses  prepared  to 
receive  it.  Instead,  Yahweh  addresses  Moses  on  the  subject  of  a  certain 
.Song  he  is  to  teach  the  people,  and  the  new  incident  concludes  without 
Joshua's  being  addressed  at  all.  When  Yahweh  has  concluded  his 
directions  to  Moses  about  the  Song,  we  are  told  "  So  Moses  wrote  this 
Song  the  same  day  and  taught  it  the  children  of  Israel."  Thereafter  we 
naturally  expect  the  Song  to  follow.  But  no;  in  the  next  verse  Yahweh 
is  giving  Joshua  the  charge  for  the  purpose  of  which  he  had  descended 
in  the  cloud  in  vs.  15,  and  not  until  a  new  introduction  has  again  paved  the 
way  for  it  does  the  Song  finally  appear.  When,  in  addition,  we  contrast 
the  brevity  and  simplicity  of  the  style  in  vv.  I4f.,  23  with  the  hortatory 
and  high-fiown  rhetoric  of  vv.  16-21,  24-30,  it  becomes  very  clear  that 
here  again  we  have  one  of  the  fragments  of  JE  preserved  by  Rd. 

This  time  al.so  the  source  from  which  it  is  derived  admits  of  no  (jues- 
tion.  The  position  filled  by  Joshua  (cf.  Jos.  xxiv.),  above  all  the  unmis- 
takable relation  of  the  passage  to  Ex.  xxxiii.  7-1 1  ;  Nu.  xi.  i6f.  ;  xii.  5, 
shows  us  that  here  once  more  is  a  genuine  fragment  of  E  associated  by 
Rd  with  Dh,  but  forming  no  part  of  the  latter's  material.  The  passage 
indeed  is  indispensable  in  the  narrative  whose  conclusion  is  found  in  Jos. 
xxiv. 

This  fragmentary  account  in  !■"  of  the  charge  to  Joshua  is  not  without 
its  close  parallel  in  P^  Wc  have  in  fact  already  discussed  (see  note  on 
Num.  xxvii.  I2ff.l  the  double  storv  of  the  command  to   Moses    to  ascend 


XXXI.  8.  THE  CHARGE  TO  JOSHUA.  267 

"  this  mountain  of  Abarini  and  die  there  "  ;  which,  in  P-  as  in  E  (Dt. 
xxxi.  14),  is  naturally  connected  with  the  charge  to  Joshua.  In  the  dis- 
covery of  P'-"s  source,  (Dt.  xxxi.  I4f.,  23)  where  the  announcement  to 
Moses  that  the  time  has  come  for  him  to  die  is  directly  associated  with 
the  command  "  Call  Joshua  and  present  yourselves  in  the  tent  of  meet- 
ing that  I  may  give  him  a  charge,"  we  have  an  additional  reason  for  the 
conclusion  arrived  at  in  connection  with  Nu.  xxvii.  i2ff.  that  this  pas- 
sage, whose  principal  theme  is  the  charge  to  Joshua,  and  not  Dt.  xxxii. 
48-52,  which  makes  no  reference  to  Joshua,  is  the  original  P''.  The  latter 
passage  must  then  be  due  simply  to  Rp,  resuming  the  thread  of  Num. 
xxvii.  12-23  after  the  prolonged  interruption.  It  would  seem  almost 
superfluous  to  point  out  the  priestly  character  of  xxxii.  48-53,  its  incon- 
gruous position,  relation  to  the  P  narratives  of  the  death  of  Aaron  (Num. 
XX.  22ff.  P^)  and  trespass  at  Meribath  Kadesh  (Num.  xxi.  13  P- 


(Rd)  And    Moses  went   and  spake  these   words    unto  all  Israel,     ol  —  I 
And  he  said  unto  them,  I  am  an  hundred  and  twenty  years  old  this  day;  I  can      2 
no  more  go  out  and  come  in  :  and  ^  Yahweh  hath  said  unto  me,  Tliou  shall  not 
go  over  this  Jordan.     V'ahweh  thy  God,  he  will  go  over  before  thee  ;  he  will     3 
destroy  these  nations  from  before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  possess  them  :  [and] 
Joshua,  he  shall  go  over  before  thee,  as  Yahweh    hath  spoken.     -And  Yah-     4 
weh  shall  do   unto   them   as  he   did  to   .Sihon   and   to   Og,  the  kings  of   the 
Amorites,  and  unto   their  land;  whom    he  destroyed.     And  Yahweh   shall     5 
deliver  them  up  before  you,  and  ye  shall  do   unto  them   according  unto  all 
3the  commandment  which  I  have  commanded  you.     ""Be  strong  and  of  good     6 
courage,  fear  not,  nor  be  affrighted  at  them  :  for  Yahweh   thy  God,  he  it  is 
that  doth  go  with  thee;  he  will  not  fail  thee,  nor  forsake  thee.     And  Moses      7 
called  unto  Joshua,  and  said  unto  him  in  the  sight  of  all  Israel,  *Be  strong 
and  of  good  courage  :  for  thou  shalt  go  with   this  people   into  the  land 
which  Yahweh  hath  sworn  unto  their  fathers  to  give  them  ;  and  thou  shalt 
cause  them  to  inherit  it.     And  Yahweh,  he  it  is  that  doth  go  before  thee  ;     8 
he  will  be  with  thee,  he  will  not   fail  thee,  neither,  forsake  thee  :  fear  not, 
neither  be  dismayed.* 

>i:  37:  4:21.    2,  :  ^f.  ;  ^  :  ^6f.    ^-j-.it'H.     ijos.  i  :  sf.     ^Vs.  23  ;  Jos.  i  :  9. 

*  Vv.  1-8  serve  to  connect  Deuteronomy  with  Jos.  i.  (see  refs.  and  Analysis). 
As  in  Dt.  i.  i,  4f.  Rd  seems  here  also  to  have  woven  in  the  E  fragments  left 
in  situ.     The  passage  seems  to  have  vv.  I4f.  in  view,  although  it   really  antici- 


268  DEUTERONOMY.  XXXI.  14. 

14  (E)  [.  .  ■]  ''And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Behold,  thy 
days  approach  that  thou  must  die  :  call  Joshua,  and  "present 
yourselves  in  the  tent  of  meeting,  that  I  may  give  him  a 
charge.     ^\nd  Moses  and  Joshua  went,  and  presented  them- 

15  selves  in  the  tent  of  meeting.  And  Yahweh  appeared  in 
the  Tent  in  a  pillar  of  cloud  :  and  the  pillar  of  cloud  stood 
over  the  door  of  the  Tent. 

******** 
21      And  '•'he  gave  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  a  charge,  and  said, 
Be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage  :  for  thou  shalt  bring  the 
children  of  Israel  into  the  land  which  1    sware   unto  them  : 
^"and  I  will  be  with  thee. 

******** 

3*2 — ■\'^        (Rp)  ""And   Yalnoeli  spake  itiito    Moses  that  selfsavie  day,  saying, 

49  Get  thee  up  into  this  inoiiiitaiii  of  Alhiriin,  unto  mount  Nebo,  which  is  in  the 
Iandof\]fo,il>,  -that  is  over  against  Jeneho  :  and  heho/d  the  land  of  Canaan, 

50  whieli  /give  unto  the  ehitdreii  of  Isi  ael  for  a  possession  :  and  die  in  the  mount 
li'hither  thou  goest    up,  and  l>e  gathered   unto    thy  people ;   as   "^ Aaron    thy 

51  brother  died  in  mount  /for,  and  was  gathered  unto  his  people  ;  l>eeanse  \ye 
trespassed  against  me  in  the  midst  of  the  children  of  Israel  at  the  waters  of 
Meribali  of  Kadesh,  in  the  wilderness  of  Zni  ;  because  ye  sanctified  me  not  in 

52  the  midst  of  the  children  of  Israel.  -'For  thou  slialt  see  the  land  lufore  thee : 
but  thou  shalt  not  go  thither  into  the  land  which  I  gi'./e  the  children  of 
Israel.* 

8Ct.  Nu.  27  :  12—2,^  ;  vv.  i-8.  'Jos.  24  :  i.  ^^Ex.  33  :  7-11  ;  \ii.  11  :  i6£.  ;  12  :  5.  "Ct.  vs. 
7.  "'Gen.46:3f.  '^Nu.  27  :  12-23,  -34:1-  'Nu.  20  :  22ff.  'N'u.  20  :  13  ;  ct.  Dt.  i.  37.  =Cf. 
31  :2. 

pate.s  them  so  far  a.s  to  make  them    well-nigh   superfluous.     Cf.  vs.  7  before  vs. 
14,  and  vv.  7f.  with  vs.  23. 

*  The  passage  x.xxii.  48-52  resumes  the  story  of  P-  from  Num.  xxvii.  12-23. 
but  is  here  separated  from  its  connection  with  the  charge  to  Joshua,  which 
must  have  been  original  (cf.  xxxiv.  7-9,  and  xxxi.  1-8),  and  assimilated  to  J  in 
xxxiv.  if.  (cf.  "  that  is  over  against  Jericho,"  vs.  49,  with  xxxiv.  i).  Otherwise 
the  verses  are  a  close,  but  somewhat  expanded  copy  of  Num.  xxvii.  12-14.  It 
is  worthy  of  note  that  "  rebelled  against  mv  word,"  Num.  xxvii.  14,  is  here 
altered  to  the  more  indefinite  "  trespassed  against  me,"  which  agrees  better 
■with  the  present  modified  form  of  P-  in  Num.  xx.  1-13. 


BLESS  J  Au  AND  DEA  TH  OF  MOSES.  :,'69 

3.  Chh.  xxxiii-f.     The  Blessing  and  Death  of  Moses. 
ANALYSIS. 

In  a  poem  of  unmistakable  antiquity  Moses  surveys  the  tribes  of 
Israel  in  order,  tirst  the  four  older  sons  of  Leah,  from  eldest  to  young- 
est ;  then  the  sons  of  Rachel,  proceeding  from  south  to  north  ;  then  the 
two  late-born  sons  of  Leah,  Zebulun  and  Issachar  ;  and  lastly  the  sons  of 
Bilhah  and  Zilpah,  Gad,  Dan,  Naphtali,  Asher,  apparently  in  the  order 
of  importance.  Upon  each  he  pronounces  a  blessing,  concluding  in  the 
style  of  the  exordium,  vv.  1-5,  with  the  felicitation  of  Israel  as  a  whole, 
vv.  26-29.  Immediately  after  the  conclusion  of  this  "  blessing"  Moses 
ascends  mount  Nebo  (Pisgah),  surveys  the  Promised  Land,  dies,  and  is 
buried  "  in  the  valley  of  the  land  of  Moab,  over  against  Beth-peor." 
After  reference  to  the  mourning  for  Moses,  and  an  anticipatory  allusion 
to  the  qualification  of  Joshua  to  be  his  successor,  the  author  concludes 
his  account  of  the  life  and  work  of  Moses  with  a  characterization  of  his 
hero  as  the  prophet  par  excellence. 

In  attributing  ch.  xxxiii.  to  J  the  present  writer  is  consciously  opposing 
the  all  but  unanimous  consent  of  critics,  which  since  the  time  of  Graf 
has  not  only  fixed  its  date,  with  what  must  be  admitted  to  be  a  high 
degree  of  probability,  in  the  prosperous  period  of  Jeroboam  II.  (786-746 
B.  c),  when  a  reunited  Israel  felt  itself  victorious  and  secure  in  the  pos- 
session of  its  fertile  land  ;  but  has  confidently  declared  the  authorship 
Ephraimitic,  in  short  that  it  formed  part  of  the  document  of  E. 

The  grounds  for  the  current  belief  are  briefly  set  forth  by  Addis  in  his 
recent  work  presenting  the  results  of  Hexateuch  analysis  as  follows  : 
••  Judah  (vs.  7)  is  to  '  come  '  to  the  people,  not  the  people  to  him.  The 
poet  says  little  of  Judah,  nothing  of  Simeon.  It  is  of  the  north  tribes, 
and  particularly  of  Joseph,  '  the  prince  among  his  brethren,'  that  he 
speaks  at  length  and  with  enthusiasm."  * 

Dillmann,  moreover,  finds  anaifinity  of  language  to  the  Aramaean  and 
traces  of  influence  by  Nu.  xxiii.  To  this  might  be  added  the  reference  in 
vs.  16  to  Ex.  iii.  2f.,  (J's,  but  attributed  by  critics  generally  to  E),  and 
the  use  of  '  Elohim  '  in  vs.  26,  were  it  not  that  the  reading  '•  the  God  of 
Jeshurun  "  is  almost  certainly  to  be  preferred.  Cornill  {Einl.  p.  72),  with 
others,  is  influenced  also  by  the  reference  in  vs.  9  to  Ex.  xxxii.  25-29.  (J), 
of  which,  however,  he  will  go  no  further  than  to  say  "  it  appears  in  an  E 
connection."  Of  the  reference  in  vs.  21  to  Num.  xxxii.  we  can  only  say 
that  either  J  or  E  might  be  referred  to,  though  it  is  the  former  who  lays 

*  Addis,  Doiiimcnts  of  the  Hexateuch.  N.  Y.  1893,  "^'o'-  ^-i  P!  194- 


270  DE  U  TERONOM  Y. 

stress  upon  Gad's  having  "  executed  the  justice  of  Yahweh  and  his  judg- 
ments with  Israel  "  by  "coming  with  the  heads  of  the  people."  The  ref- 
erence in  vs.  8  to  Yahweh's  "  proving  "  Levi  (or  Moses  .^)  and  striving 
with  (or  for)  him  cannot,  perhaps,  be  identified  with  J's  story  of  Massah 
in  Ex.  xvii.  7  ;  but  neither  can  it  with  E's  in  .xv.  25b  ;  xvi.  4  and  xvii.  2, 
so  that  vs.  8  appears  at  most  neutral ;  rather,  since,  with  Cornill,  we  may 
regard  the  treatment  of  Levi  as  a  secular  tribe  in  x.xvii.  1 2  as  from  E,  vs. 
8  is  really  inconsistent  with  E  authorship.  Now  we  may  lay  no  stress 
upon  the  sympathy  with  J  in  vs.  21  ;  but  it  is  significant  that  on  wholly 
independent  grounds  our  analysis  has  led  to  the  assignment  of  the  two 
passages  unmistakably  alluded  to  in  vv.  16  and  26  to  J  and  not  to  E.  As 
for  the  other  arguments  for  E,  Dillmann's  three  words  explicable  from 
the  Aramaean  are  very  inconclusive  evidence  for  an  Ephramite  origin,  and 
of  the  three  possible  traces  of  influence  by  Nu.  xxiii.  (see  refs.)  two  are 
found  also  in  the  J  version  of  that  poem,  if  not  exclusively  there.  See 
note  on  Nu.  xxiv.  8.  They  might  all  be  accounted  for  by  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  poem  independent  of  E.  Per  contra  the  reminiscences  of 
Gen.  xlix.  (J)  are  indisputable,  and  these  affect  the  whole  structure  of  our 
poem.  The  same  in  less  degree  may  be  said  of  Jud.  v.  (J).  The  argu- 
ment that  the  supreme  interest  of  the  poet  centres  in  Joseph  is  an  over- 
statement. The  proportionate  interest  in  Joseph  is  no  greater  than  the 
relative  importance  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh  demanded  in  the  time  of 
the  writer  ;  no  greater  than  appears  in  J"s  treatment  of  the  tribal  origins 
in  the  narratives  of  Genesis  ,  no  greater  than  in  Gen.  xlix.,  from  whence 
the  greater  part  of  the  blessing  of  Joseph  here  has  been  taken  bodily. 
Graf,  who  regarded  this  poem  as  the  work  of  a  priest  of  the  Solomonic 
temple,  had  a  truer  perception  of  the  author's  patriotic  feeling.  The 
survey  is  comprehensive,  but  the  supreme  interest  is  in  "  Jeshurun,"  or 
Israel  as  a  whole  ;  cf.  vv.  2-5,  26-29.  The  centre  of  unity  here  is  neither 
Joseph  nor  Judah,  but  Jerusalem  ;  specifically  the  temple.  So  far  as  a 
preference  appears  for  any  tribe  it  is  rather  the  tribe  of  Levi,  (here  dis- 
tinctly a  priest-tribe,  vs.  10)  who  are  "  the  people  of  Yahweh's  conse- 
crated one"  (Moses);  or  Benjamin,  who  is  "  the  favorite  of  Yahweh" 
by  virtue  of  the  fact  that  Yahweh's  dwelling-place  (the  temple)  is  on  his 
[mountain]  shoulders;  vv.  8-10,  12.  it  is  certainly  difficult  to  believe 
that  an  Ephraimite  writer,  before  the  time  of  Josiah,  preeminently 
7<«priestly  in  his  proclivities,  a  prophet  of  the  prophets,  could  have 
written,  or  even  incorporated,  a  poem  so  incongruous  with  his  own  point 
of  view. 

But  the  crucial  objection  to  Judean  or   Levitical   authorship  is  sought 
in  vs.  7,  with  its  apparently  curt  treatment  of  Judah,  and  above  all  the 


BLESSING  A  AD  DEATH  OF  MOSES.  271 

clause  "bring  him  in  unto  his  people,"  which  is  interpreted  as  a  prayer 
that  Judah  may  become  reunited  to  the  main  stock  of  Israel,  from  which 
he,  and  not  the  ten  tribes,  had  separated  himself.  Admitting  the  possi- 
bility of  this  interpretation,  and  the  apparent  omission  of  reference  to 
Simeon,  it  is. not  surprising  that  vs.  7  should  have  seemed  to  the  critics 
conclusive  evidence  of  authorship  by  E.  Yet  it  is  certainly  surprising 
after  an  exordium  in  which  the  attention  has  just  been  fastened  upon  "all 
the  tribes  of  Israel  together,"  even  if  the  blessing  was  not  originally  put 
in  the  mouth  of  Moses,  that  the  author  should  at  the  very  outset  omit 
the  oldest  but  one  of  all  the  tribes,  and  count  only  eleven.  It  is  strange, 
therefore,  that  Dillmann,  who  recognizes  the  singularity  of  this  omission, 
should  reject  with  the  curt  verdict  of  ''  too  violent,"  the  brilliant  conjec- 
ture of  Heilprin  (Hisior.  poetry  of  the  ancient  Hebrews,  1889.  1.  p. 
1 1 3ff. ;  following  Gratz  and  Kohler),  which  places  7b  after  vs.  10  and 
reads  in  7a  :  "  And  of  Simeon  he  said  :  Hear,  Vahweh,  the  voice  of 
Simeon,  and  bring  him  in  unto  his  people." 

It  is  to  be  observed  in  the  first  place  that  the  true  place  for  the  bless- 
ing of  Judah  cannot  be  after  Reuben,  with  which  it  is  neither  geographi- 
cally contiguous  nor  historically  associated  ;  but  after  Simeon  and  Levi, 
as  in  Gen.  .xli.x.  the  true  model  of  the  present  poem.  Secondly,  the  bless- 
ing of  Levi  manifestly  reaches  its  clima.x  and  conclusion  in  vs.  10. 
What  follows  in  vs.  1 1  is  impossible  to  connect  with  Levi,  which  as  a 
priestly  guild  cannot  have  enemies  on  the  field  of  battle,  such  as  are 
referred  to  in  vs.  ir.  Thirdly,  the  present  poem  partakes  of  the  charac- 
ter of  Gen.  xlix.  and  of  ancient  poems  of  this  class  in  general,  in  the  fact 
that  its  tribal  oracles  attach  to  the  name  of  the  tribe  in  question  with 
repeated  plays  upon  its  sense  (cf.  vs.  24  with  Gen.  \\w.  passim).  Of 
this  punning  character  are  both  parts  of  vs.  7.  The  "  Hear,  (shem'a) 
Yahweh  "  is  nothing  else  than  a  play  upon  the  name  Simeon  (shime'on) 
who  is  represented  as  praying  to  be  reunited  to  the  principal  stock  of 
Israel,  a  prayer  which,  though  he  might  offer  it  himself,  an  I-:phraimite 
could  hardly  imagine /«(/«// as  offering;  Simeon,  however,  in  immedi- 
ate danger  at  this  time  of  entire  extinction  by  absorption  into  the  neigh- 
boring Edomite  and  Amalekite  stocks,  might  well  be  supposed  to  offer 
it.  There  is  here,  in  fact,  no  reference  to  the  division  between  the  north- 
ern and  southern  kingdoms  ;  this  on  the  contrary  is  ignored  by  the  poet, 
who  dwells  upon  the  national  unity.  Our  conclusion  is  corroborated  by 
the  second  part  of  the  verse,  which  has  the  same  play  upon  the  name 
Judah  (yehiidah)  as  Gen.  xlix.  8.  connecting  it  with  the  stem  yad, 
"hand.'"  Nor  is  this  all.  The  same  warlike  "  hands "  ot  Judah  are 
those  which   reappear  in  vs.   11,  and   the  same   "adversaries"   against 


272       •  DEUTEROXOMV. 

whom  Yahweh's  help  is  implored  in  vs.  7b  are  , those  of  vs.  if  whose 
loms  Yahvveh  is  entreated  to  smite  through.  What  possible  connection 
on  the  other  hand  can  7b  have  with  7a.'  And  what  better  connection 
can  it  possibly  have  than  with  vs.  1 1  .■•  Finally  it  is  worth  while  to  point 
out  that  the  running  title  jua,  "  And  this  is  of  Judah  :  and  he  said," 
differing  as  it  does  from  all  the  others  in  vv.  8,  12,  13,  18,  20,  22,  23,  24 

which  uniformly  have  "  And  of he  said  "  seems  to  bear   the  mark  of 

the  confusion  which  has  here  e.xisted,  as  if  the  application  of  the  lines  to 
Judah  had  been  disputed.  When  to  all  this  we  add  the  fact  that  some 
LXX.  Mss.  have  here  "  Simeon,"  the  conjecture  seems  anything  but 
"  violent."  The  running  titles  are  in  fact  no  integral  part  of  the  poem, 
which  does  not  even  afford  justification  of  the  expression  "  he  (/.  e. 
Moses)  said,"  though  this  of  course  agrees  with  the  introductory  for- 
mula. It  is  probable  that  the  blessing  of  Simeon,  like  the  preceding 
blessing  of  Reuben,  had  no  separate  title,  as  it  was  unnecessary.  If 
then  in  any  way  the  name  Simeon  became  illegible,  it  would  be  most 
natural  for  the  scribe  at  once  to  infer,  and  to  set  down  on  the  margin, 
"  This  is  I  the  blessing]  of  Judah,"  for  the  double  reason  that  on  account 
of  the  insignificance,  or  disappearance,  of  Simeon,  Judah,  in  his  mind, 
would  be  the  name  to  follow  after  Reuben  in  the  order  of  inheritances, 
and  secondly  because  the  generally  geographical  order  of  the  poem  from 
south  to  north  would  to  him  suggest  Judah  at  this  point.  However  the 
dislocation  of  Judah's  blessing  be  accounted  for,  the  conjecture  of  Heil- 
prin  cannot  fairly  be  dismissed  as  improbable.  On  the  contrary,  apart 
from  all  questions  of  authorship  the  preponderance  of  evidence  suggests 
that  Simeon  7V(is  mentioned,  Yahweh  being  entreated  to  "  hear  "  his 
prayer  to  be  brought  in  unto  his  own  people  ;  and  Judah  was  not  lightly 
passed  over  ;  but  on  the  contrary  receives  such  attention  as  could  pro- 
ceed only  from  one  in  heartiest  sympathy  with  Judah's  side  in  at  least 
his  present  battles.  Judaean  authorship,  in  the  strict  sense,  would  be 
too  much  to  claim  for  the  poem,  even  with  this  emendation  ;  but  the 
supposition  of  Graf,  that  it  was  composed  by  a  priest  of  the  Jerusalem 
temple  acquires  well-nigh  convincing  force.  If  this  be  its  origin  we 
must  certainly  look  to  J  rather  than  E  as  the  document  in  which  it  was 
incorporated,  and  we  shall  then  find  it  no  small  corroboration  of  the 
analysis  which  regards  J  as  the  author  of  the  passages,  Ex.  iv.  10-16; 
xix.  22  ;  xxiv.  if.,  9-1 1  ;  xxxii.  25  rtg  where  a  semi-priestly  interest  is  dis- 
|)layc(i.  It  is  in  fact  a  priestly  interest,  though  of  the  pre-exilic  kind 
which  gives  the  ritual  version  of  the  Ten  Words,  Ex.  xxxiv.  10-27.  and 
affords  the  J  nucleus,  whatever  that  be,  to  which  Rp  attaches  P'^^'s  story 
of  the  muiinv  of  Korah.     Such  a  truly  broad  and  comprehensive  patriot- 


XXXIII.  I.       BLESSING  AND  DEATH  OE  MOSES.  27S 

ism  as  appears  in  the  selection  of  narratives  of  the  patriarchal  period  as 
well  as  in  the  three  great  poems  of  Gen.  xlix.  ;  Dt.  xxxiii.,  and  Jud.  v.  is 
what  we  might  expect  of  a  priest  of  the  Solomonic  temple  in  the  time  of 
Jeroboam  11. 

As  positive  evidence  of  connection  with  the  J  document  we  have  not 
only  the  references  already  spoken  of ;  the  manifest  interest  in  the  Jeru- 
salem temple  and  priesthood  as  centre  of  the  national  life  ;  the  remarka- 
ble dependence  upon  Gen.  xlix.,  and  relation  to  the  poems  of  this  docu- 
ment; and  the  vigorous  hatred  of  Judah's  enemies;  but  also  important 
linguistic  criteria.  The  use  of  "Smai,"  vs.  2,  is  unexampled  in  either  E 
or  D,  which  have  uniformly  "  Horeb,"  but  invariable  in  J  ;  "  Aleribath- 
Kadesh,"  in  the  same  verse  (see  note  m  /oc),  like  "  Sinai,"  is  known 
only  to  J  and  P.  Finally  vs.  17,  besides  a  doubtful  reminiscence  of  Nu. 
X.  36  (J),  can  scarcely  be  interpreted  with  fairness  in  a  manner  compati- 
ble with  the  hatred  of  Joseph's  "  firstling  bullock  "  exhibited  in  Ex.  xxxii., 
and  the  counting  of  Joseph  as  one  tribe  instead  of  two  agrees  with  J, 
whatever  may  have  been  E's  practice  (cf.  Gen.  xlviii.  20-22  with  xlix.  22; 
Jos.  xvii.  14,  17;  Jud.  i.  22). 

Chapter  xxxiv.  is  certainly  of  a  very  composite  character.  Vv.  6,  9 
and  12  contain  three  separate  conclusions  by  as  many  different  hands, 
Vv.  7-9  are  certainly  the  sequel  to  Num.  xxvii.  12-23  (P*).  vs.  7a  being 
in  the  exact  form  of  Num.  xxxiii.  39  (P^)  and  Ex.  vii.  7  (P"''),  and  8f.  cor- 
responding to  Num.  XX.  29;  xxvii.  i8ff.  Vv.  10-12  are  not  due  purely  to 
Rd  ;  for,  as  an  addition  to  the  work  already  fully  completed  and  rounded 
out  they  would  be  the  reverse  of  helpful  to  his  purpose.  The  Deuteron- 
omic  phraseology  simply  marks  the  addition  in  vv.  i  if.  to  an  original 
datum  of  E,  author  of  Ex.  xxxiii.  1 1  ;  Num.  xi.  25  ;  xii.  8,  and  other  pas- 
sages where  Moses  is  presented  as  the  ideal  prophet.  The  geographical 
data  in  5f.  recall  Nu.  xxi.  20;  x.xv.  3  (J),  though  the  linguistic  usage 
shows  the  final  clause  of  vs.  5  to  be  from  P^.  Vs.  4a  repeats  Ex.  xxxiii. 
I  (J)  and  follows  his  linguistic  usage  (Dt.  says,  "  sware  /<?  give,")  and  the 
latter  part  of  vs.  i,  which  names  a  different  peak  from  P  and  D,  is  from 
the  same  writer;  though  the  beginning  of  the  verse  continues  the 
account  of  P^,  Num.  xxvii.  I2ff.  (;=Dt.  xx.xii.  48-52).  The  geographical 
amplification  between  ib  and  4b  is  redactional  (see  note  m  /oc),  and 
probably  of  late  date,  but  contains  the  only  explanation  of  the  name 
"  City  of  Palm-trees,''  for  Jericho,  employed  by  J  in  Jud.  i.  16. 


(J)  And  this  is  the  blessing,  wherewith  Moses  the  33 


274  DEUTERONOMY.  XXXIII.  2. 

man  of  Ood  Messed  the  children  of  Israel  ^before  his 
2    death.   And  he  said, 

'Yahweh  came  from   Sinai, 
And  rose  from  Seir  unto  them  ; 
He  shined  forth  from  mount  Paran, 
And  he  came  from  tlie  ten  thousands  of  holy  ones: 
At  his  ri^ht  hand  was  a  iiery  law  unto  them. 
3     Yea,  he  loveth  the  peoples ; 
All  his  saints  are  in  thy  hand : 
And  they  sat  down  at  thy  feet ;  * 
[Every  one]  shall  receive  of  thy  words.     [  .  .  .  ] 

X  (Rd)  Moses  commanded  us  a  law, 

An  inheritance  for  the  assembly  of  Jacob. 

5  And  he  was  *king  in  ^Jeshurun, 

When  the  "^lieads  of  the  people  were  gathered. 
All  the  tribes  of  Israel  together. 

6  Let  Reuben  live,  and  not  die  ; 
Yet  let  his  men  be  few. 

7  —And  this  is  [the  blessing]  of  .Judah— :  and  [ .  .  .  ] 

he  said. 
Hear,  Yahweh,  the  voice  of  Judah^ 
And  bring  him  in  unto  his  people : 
—With  his  'hands  he  contended  for  himself; 
And  thou  slialt  be  an  help  against  his  adversaries. — t 

'(ien.  27  : 7  ;  (50  :  16).  ^Jud.  5  :  4f.  ^Ex.  19  :  n,  18,  20  etc.  <Num.  23:21.  ^t,i:\i. 
•Vs.  21.     'Gen.  49  :  8. 

*  Vv.  2b,  3  are  very  corrupt  in  text.  In  2b  we  should  certainly  translate 
K  D  s  H  with  LXX.  "  Kadesh,"  and  the  preceding  M  R  is  15  T  11  should  probably 
be  M  M  R  B  T  H  or  M  '  R  H  T  H  /.  e.  "  from  Meribath-( Kadesh)  :  "  or  "  from  the 
fields  of  (Kadesh)."  What  in  the  last  line  of  vs.  2  was  the  original  of  "  from 
Yahweh's  right  hand  "  can  only  be  conjectured,  though  as  between  the  two 
marginal  readings  of  R.  V.  "  streams  "  is  preferable  to  "  fire."  Vs.  3  appears 
hojieless. 

t  Vs.  4a  interprets  the  "inheritance  "  (certainly  the  land  of  Canaan)  m  the 
sense  of  Rd  as  the  Torah.  Both  sense  and  language  show  it  to  be  a  late  gloss, 
perhaps  intended  to  throw  light  upon  the  puzzle  of  vs.  3.  It  also  alters  the 
sense  of  vs.  5,  which  should  refer  to  \'ahwch  (cf.  Num.  xxiii.  21). — The  bless, 
ing  of  Judah  is  displaced  (see  Analysis).  Insert  -jTnih  after  vs.  10,  and  read,  in, 
7a  h,  "the  voice    of   Simeon."     In  7b  read    ]ierhaps,  "  With    thy  hand  contend 


XXXI II.  14.  BLESSING  AXD  DEATH  OF  MOSES.  275 

And  of  Levi  he  said,  8 

Thy  Thuininiiii  and   thy  Trim   are  with  thy  godly 

one. 
Whom  thon  didst  "prove  at  Massah, 
With   whom  thon  didst  ^strive  at  the  waters  of 

Meribah ; 
^"Who  said  of  his  father,  and  of  his  mother,  I  have    9 

not  "seen  him ; 
Neither  did  he  acknowledge  his  brethren. 
Nor  knew  he  his  ow  n  children  : 
For  they  have  observed  thy  w  ord. 
And  keep  thy  '-covenant. 

^'^They  shall  teach  Jacob  thy  jndgments,  10 

And  Israel  thy  law  : 
They  shall  pnt  incense  before  thee. 
And  whole  burnt  offering  upon  thine  altar. 
Bless,  Yah w  eh,  his  substance,  1 1 

And  accept  the  work  of  his  hands  : 
"Smite  through   the  loins  of  them  that  rise  up 

against  him, 
And  of  them  that  hate  him,  that  they  rise  not 

again. 
Of  Benjamin  he  said,  12 

The  beloved  of  Yahweh  shall  dwell   in  safety  by 

him  ; 
He  covereth  him  all  the  day  long, 
And  he  dw  elJeth  between  his  shoulders. 

And  of  Joseph  he  said,  ^3 

'^Blessed  of  Yahweh  be  his  land  ; 
For  the  precious  things  of  heaven,  for  the  dew. 
And  for  the  deep  that  coucheth  beneath, 
And  for  the  precious  things  of  the  fruits  of  the  14 

sun, 

8(Ex.  17:7).     '>(Nu,2o:3).     i»Ex.  32:29.     "Gen.  29:32.    i^Ex.  34  :  10-27.     "Ex  4  :  lo  i6. 
"Nu.  24:-Sc.     iSGen.  4q:  25f. 

for  him."     Part  II.  must  be  consulted  throughout  this  chapter,  as  the  changes 
in  text  and  translation  are  verv  numerous. 


276  DEUTERONOMY.  XXXIII.  15. 

And  for  the  precious  things  of  the  growth  of  the 
moons, 

15  And  for  the  chief  tilings  of  tlie  ancient  mountains. 
And  for  the  precious  things  of   the   everlasting 

hills, 

16  And  for  the  precious  things  of  the  earth  and  the 

fulness  thereof. 
And  the  good  will  of  him  ^"  that  dwelt  in  the  bush  : 
Let  [the  blessing]  come  upon  the  head  of  Joseph, 
And  upon  the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  that  was 
separate  from  his  brethren.* 

17  The  firstling  of  his  bullock,  majesty  is  his  ; 
And  his  horns  are  the  horns  of  the^'  wild-ox : 
With  them  he  shall  push  the   peoples  all  of  them, 

[even]  the  ends  of  the  earth  : 
And  they  are  the  '"ten  thousands  of  Ephraim, 
And  they  are  the  thousands  of  Manasseh. 

18  And  of  Zebulun  he  said. 
Rejoice,  Zebulun,  in  thy  ^^going  out ; 
And,  Issachar,  in  thy  tents. 

19  They  shall  call  the  peoples  unto  the  mountain ; 
There  shall  they  offer  sacrifices  of  righteousness  : 
For  they  shall  suck  the  abundance  of  the  seas. 
And  the  hidden  treasures  of  the  sand. 

20  And  of  Gad  he  said. 

Blessed  be  he  that  enlargeth  Gad  : 

He  dwelleth  as  a  lioness. 

And  teareth  the  arm,  yea,  the  crown  of  the  head. 

21  -And  he  provided  the  first  part  for  himself. 
For  there  was  the  lawgiver's  portion  reserved  ; 

'-«Ex.  3  :  22ff.    I'Nu.   23  :  22     >«Nu.  10  :  36.     '"Jos.  17  :  16.    '•'"Nu.  32  :  2ff. 

*  Vv.  13-16  are  peculiar  in  the  fact  that  they  reproduce  so  closely  the  bless- 
ing of  Joseph  by  Jacob  in  Gen.  xlix.  25f.  We  might,  moreover,  simply  omit 
these  verses  and  still  have  a  perfect  connection  and  a  blessing  of  Joseph  (vs. 
17)  corresponding  in  structure  to  that  of  Asher,  vv.  24f.  In  fact  the  thought 
seems  to  approach  a  climax  and  conclusion  in  vs.  16,  and  vs.  17  to  make  a  new 
beginning.     Still  there  is  no  cogent  reason  for  making  a  separation. 


XXXIII.  29.  BLESSING  AND  DEATH  OF  MOSES.  'TT!! 

2' And  he  came  [with]  the  heads  of  the  people, 
He  executed  the  justice  of  Yahweh, 
And  his  judgments  with  Israel. 

And  of  Dan  he  said,  22 

Dan  is  a  lion's  whelp. 
That  leapeth  forth  from  Bashan. 

And  of  Naphtali  he  said,  23 

0  Naphtali,  satisfied  with  favour, 
And  full  with  the  blessing  of  Yahweh : 
Possess  thou  the  west  and  the  south. 

And  of  Asher  he  said,  24 

Blessed  be  Asher  with  children  ; 
Let  him  be  acceptable  unto  his  brethien, 
And  let  him  dip  his  foot  in  oil. 

Thy  "bars  shall  be  iron  and  brass  ;  25 

And  as  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be. 

There  is  none  like  unto  God,  *0  Jeshurun,  26 

Who  '^^rideth  upon  the  heaven  for  thy  help. 
And  in  his  excellency  on  the  skies. 
The  eternal  God  is  [thy]  dwelling  place,  27 

And  underneath  are  the  everlasting  ^arms  : 
And  he  thrust  out  the  enemy  from  before  thee. 
And  said,  Destroy. 

And  Israel  dwelleth  in  safety,  28 

The  fountain  of  Jacob  -^alone, 
In  a  '"^land  of  corn  and  wine  ; 
Yea,  his  heavens  drop  down  dew. 

Happy  art  thou,  0  Israel  :  29 

Who  is  like  unto  thee,  a  people  saved  by  Yahweh, 
The  ^-shield  of  thy  help, 
And  that  is  the  sword  of  thy  excellency  ! 
And  thine  enemies  shall  submit  themselves   unto 

thee  ; 
And  thou  shalt  tread  upon  their  high  places. 

2!Nu.    -,2  :  26f.     22Cf.  29:5.     23jud.   5:4.     24Gen.    49:24.     25>jum.  23  :  9.     "•Gen.  27  :  28. 
S'(Gen.  15:1.) 

*A  better  translation  of  the  text  (not  of  the  vowel-points)  is  that  of  Dillmann 


278  DEUTEROXOMY.  XXXI 1 1.  i. 

34-       (Pj  ^  And  Moses  7vent  up  from  the  plains  of  Moab  unto  mount 

(J)  Nebo,  ^to  the  top  of  Pisgah,  that  is  over  against 

Jericho.     And    Yahweh  sliewed  him    all    the    laud 

^  (Rj)  oftrilead,  unto  Dan;  and  all  Naphtali,  and  the  land  of 

Ephraiin  and  Manasseh,  and  all  the  land  of  Judah,   unto  the 

3  liinder  sea;  and  the  South,  and  the  Plain  of  the  valley  of  Jericho 

4  (J)  the  3city  of  i)alm  trees,  unto  Zoar.*  *Alld  YahAveh  said 
unto  him.  This  is  the  land  which  I  sware  uuto  Abra- 
ham, unto  Isaac,  aud  uuto  Jacob,  saying,  I  will  give 
it  uuto  thy  seed  :  I  have  caused  thee  to  see  it  with 
thine  eyes,  but  thou     shalt    not  go    over    thither. 

5  (E)   So  Moses  the  ^servant  of  Yahweh  died  there  in  the  land 

6  (P)  (J)  of  Moab,  according  to  the  word  of  YaMveh.   [  .   .   .  ]  And 

he  buried  him  iu  the  valley  in  the  land  of  Moab  over 

(E)  against  Beth-peor  :  but  no  man  knoweth  of  his  sepul- 

7  (P)  chre  unto  this  day.f  And  Moses  was  an  hundred  and 
twenty  years  old  when  he  died  :  his  eye  was  not  dim,  nor  his  natu- 

8  ral  force  abated.  ^And  the  children  of  Israel  wept  for  Moses  in 
the  plains  of  Moab  thirty  days  :  so    the  days  of  weeping  in  the 

9  mourning  for  Moses  were  ended.  'And  Joshua  the  son  of  N'ufi 
was  full  of  the  spirit  of  wisdoju  ;  for  Moses  had  laid  his  hands 
upon  him  :  and  the  children  of  Israel  hearkened  unto  him,  and  did 

10  (E)  as  Yahweh  commanded  Moses.  "^And  there  hath  not 
arisen  a  prophet  since  in  Israel  like  unto  Moses,  whom  Yah- 

11  (Rd)  weh  ^knew  face  to  face,  i^in  all  the  signs  and  the  wonders, 
which  Yahweh  sent  him  to  do  in  the   land  of  Egypt,  to  Pharaoh,  and  to  all 

12  his  servants,  and  to  all  his  land  ;  and  in  all  the  mighty  hand,  and  in  all  the 
great  terror,  which  Moses  wrought  in  the  sight  of  all  Israel. 

"32:49.  ''Nu.  21:20  and  refs.  ^Jud.  i  :  i6.  ■•Ex.  s,  :  iff.  'Kx.  14  :  .V  ;  Nu.  u  :  jf. 
«Nu.2o:29.  'Nu.27:i8ff.  «Nu.  .1.  25  :  ct.  ch.  18  :  15.  'Ex.  ,5:11.  Xu.  u  :  S.  i»Ex.3: 
igf. ;  4  :  29,  etc. 

and  of  the  A.  V.  "  the  Cod  of  Joshimm  "  (cf.  Ps.  Ixviii.  ;,6;  cxlvi.  5).  Here 
and  in  vs.  27  FLlohim  is  of  course  necessary  and  affords  no  evidence  against  J. 

*  The  geographical  e.xplanation  in  vv.  2I.  is  not  found  in  Sam.  and  is,  there- 
fore, probably  a  redactional  expansion  of  late  date,  perhaps  a  "  survival." 

t  In  vs.  6  translate  with  margin  U.  V.  "  was  buried." 


PART    II 


The  separate  documents  J.  E  and  P  conjectur- 
ally  restored  in  a  revised  translation,  with  textual 
emendations  of  good  authority. 


PART  II. 

THE  JUD/EAN  PROPHETIC  NARRATIVE, 
CIRC.  800  B.  C, 

(THE)  EXODUS. 

Story    of    Israel's    Servitude    in    Egypt.      Moses'  Deed    of 
Violence,  and  Flight  to  Midian  ;  his  Marriage 

THERE   and    the    BIRTH    OF    HIS    SON. 

And  Joseph   died,  and    all    his  brethren,   and  all   that  1 — 6 
generation.     But    [the    children    of    Israel]   multiplied    and     7 
waxed  exceeding  mighty.     Therefore  they  did  set  over  them  1 1 
'  taskmasters  '  to  '  afflict '  them  with  their  burdens.     And  they 
built  for  Pharaoh  store  cities,  Pithom  and  Raamses.     But  the  12 
more  they  'afflicted  '  them,  the  more  they  multiplied  and  the 
more  they  '  spread  abroad  '  ;  so  that  they  '  stood  in  dread  of  ' 
the  children  of  Israel.     [And  they  imposed  forced    labor  on  13 
them],  in  mortar  and  in  brick,  and  in  all  manner  of  service  in 
the  field  ;  but  the  people  multiplied,  and  waxed  very  mighty.  20b 

[  .  .  .  And  one  of  the  house  of  Levi  named  Moses,  a  son 
of  Amram,  rose  up  against  an  Egyptian  and  slew  him.  And 
Pharaoh  sent  men  to  take  him,  but  Moses  fled,  and  escaped 
to  the  land  of  Midian.  And  he  saw  a  well  in  the  field  and 
flocks]  ;  so  he  sat  down  by  the  well.  2 — 15b 

Now  [Hobab]  the   priest    of  Midian  had  seven  daughters  :  16 
and  they  came,  to  draw  water,  and  fill  the  '  troughs  '  to  water 
their  father's   flock;  but  the    '  shepherds  '  came    and  drove  17 
them  away  :  and  Moses  stood  up  and  helped  them,  and  wa- 
tered their  flock.     And  when  they  came    to  their  father,  he  18 
said.  How  is  it  that  ye  are  come  so  soon  to-day?     And  they  19 
said.  An  Egyptian  delivered  us  out  of  the  hand  of  the  '  shep- 
herds,' and  moreover  he  drew  water  for  us,  and  watered  the 
flock.     And  he    said  unto   his   daughters,  And  where    is  he  ?  20 

281 


282  THE  J  UD.-EAN  PROP  HE  TIC  XARRA  TI VE, 

why  is  it  that  ye  have  deserted  the  man  ?  call   him,  that  he 

2  1  may  eat  bread.  And  Moses  'decided'  to  dwell  with  the 
22  man  :  and  he  gave  Moses  Zipporah  his  daughter.     And   she 

bare  a  son,  and  he  called  his  name  Gershom  : 

Death  of  the  Tyrant,  and  Return  of    Moses  T(j  Egypt.    He 
Encounters  Yahweh  at  the  Lodging-Place,  and 
Zipporah  Circumcises  Her  Child  as  a  Sub- 
stitute FOR  Bridegroom  Circumcision. 

2 — 23  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  course  of  those  many  days, 
4 — 19  that  the  king  of  Egypt  died  :     And  'Yahweh  '  said  unto 

Moses  in  Midian,  Go,  returri  into  Egypt  :  for  all  the  men  are 
20  dead  which  sought  thy  life.     So  Moses  took  his  wife  and  his 

son,  and  set  them    upon  an   ass,  and  he    set  out  to  return  to 

24  the  land  of  Egypt  :  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  way  at  the 
'  lodging-place,'  that  'Yahweh  '  '  fell  upon  '  him,  and  sought 

25  to  kill  him.  Then  Zipporah  took  a  flint  and  touched  his 
person  with    it,  saying,    Surely  a   "  blood-bridegroom  "  art 

2(i  thou  to  me.  So  he  let  him  alone.  Then  it  was  that  she 
gave  rise  to  the  saying,  "a  bridegroom  of  blood  "  with  refer- 
ence to  circumcision. 

Yahweh's  Appearance  to  Moses  in  the  Burning    Bush    and 
Commission  to  him  to  Deliver  Israel. 

[And  on  the  morrow  Moses  set  forward  from  the  lodging- 

3 — 2  place].     And  the  angel  of  '  Yahweh  '  '  appeared  '  unto  him 

in  a  flame  of  fire  out  of  the  midst  of  the  thorn  thicket.     And 

when  he  looked '  behold  '  the  whole  thicket  was  burning  with 

3  fire,  but  the  thicket  was  not  consumed.  And  Moses  said  to 
himself,  I  will  turn  aside  now  and  see  this  great    sight,  why 

4  the  thicket  is  not  consumed.     And  when  '  Yahweh  '  perceived 

5  that  he  turned  aside  to  see,  he  said.  Draw  not  nigh  hither, 
'  put  off  thy  sandals  from  off  thy  feet  ;   for  the  place  where- 

7  on  thou  standest  is  holy  ground.'  And  '  Yahweh  '  said,  I  have 
surely  seen  the  '  affliction  '  of  my  peoj^le  which  are  in  Egypt, 
and  have  heard  their  cry  by  reason  of    their  '  taskmasters  '  ; 

8  for  I  know  their  sorrows  ;  and  I  am  'come  down  '  to  deliver 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  283 

them  out  of  the  hand  of   the  Egyptians,  and    to  bring  them 
up  out    of   that    land  unto  a  good    land   and  a   large,  unto  a 
'  land  flowing  with  milk   and   honey.'      Go,  and    gather   the  16 
elders  of  Israel   together,  and    say   unto   them,  Yahweh,  the 
God  of  your  fathers,  the  God  of    Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of 
Jacob,  hath    'appeared'     unto    me,    saying,  I     have    surely 
visited  you,  and  seen  that  which    is   done   to  you    in  Egypt  : 
and  I  have  said,  I  will  bring  you  up  out  of  the  '  affliction  '  of  17 
Egypt  unto  a  '  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.'     And  they  18 
shall  hearken  to    thy  voice  :  and  thou  shalt   come,  thou  and 
the  elders  of  Israel,  unto  the  king  of  Egypt,  and  ye  shall  say 
unto  him,  Yahweh,  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  hath  '  met '  with 
us  :  and  now  let  us  go,  we  pray  thee,  '  three  days'  journey  into 
the  wilderness,'  that  we  m.ay  sacrifice   to  Yahweh   our  God. 
And   Moses  answered  and  said.  But,  what  if   they  will   not    4 
believe  me,   nor  hearken   unto  my  voice,    but  say,  Yahweh 
hath  not  '  appeared  '  unto  thee  ?    And  Yahweh  said  unto  him,    2 
What  is  that  in  thine  hand  ?     And    he  said,  A   rod.     And  he    3 
said,  Cast  it  on  the  '  ground. '     And  he  cast  it  on  the  '  ground, 
and    it  became  a  '  serpent' ;  and  Moses  fled    from    before  it. 
And  Yahweh   said    unto   Moses,  Put   forth    thine  hand,  and    4 
take  it  by  the  tail  :  (so  he  put  forth  his  hand,  and   laid  hold 
of  it,  and  it  became  a  rod  in  his  hand  :)   that    they  may  be-    5 
lieve    that   Yahweh,  the   God  of   their   fathers,  the   God   of 
Abraham,  the   God  of   Isaac,  and   the   God    of  Jacob,  hath 
'  appeared  '  unto  thee.     And  Yahweh  said  furthermore  unto    6 
him.  Put  now  thine  hand  into  thy  bosom.    So  he  put  his  hand 
into  his  bosom  :  and   when  he  took  it  out,  behold,  his   hand 
was   leprous,  as  [white   as]   snow.     And   he    said.  Put  thine    7 
hand  into  thy  bosom    again.     (Then,  when  he  had    put  his 
hand  into  his  bosom  again,  and  had  taken  it  out  of  his  bosom, 
behold,  it  was  turned  again  as  his  [other]  flesh.)  And  it  shall    8 
come  to  pass,  if  they  will   not    believe  thee,  neither  hearken 
to  the  voice  of  the  first  sign,  that  they  will  believe  the  voice 
of  the  latter  sign.     And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  if  they  will  not    9 
believe  even  these  two  signs,  neither  hearken  unto  thy  voice, 
that  thou  shalt  take   of  the   water  of  the  Nile,  and  pour   it 


284  THE  J  L  D.EAX  PROP  HE  TIC  NARK  A  TI VE. 

upon  the  dry  land  :  and  the  water  which    thou  takest  out   of 
the  Nile  shall  become  blood  upon  the  dry  land. 

The  Priesthood  the  Authorized  Expounders   of   the   Law. 
Aaron  is  Made  Moses'  Spokesman  to  the  People. 

lo  And  Moses  said  unto  Yahweh,  '  I  pray  thee,  Lord,  have 
me  excused,'  I  am  no  speaker  neither  '  heretofore,'  nor  since 
thou  hast  spoken  unto  thy  servant  :  for  1  am  slow  of  speech, 

n  and  of  a  slow  tongue.  And  Yahweh  said  unto  him,  Who 
hath  made  man's   mouth  }  or  who  maketh  [a  manj  dumb,  or 

12  deaf,  or  seeing,  or  blind  r  is  it  nut  I  Yahweh  ?  Now  there- 
fore go,  and  I  will   be    with  thy  nioulih,  and  teach  thee  what 

13  thou  shalt  speak.  But  he  said,  '  I  pray  thee,  Lord,  have  me 
excused,'  send  I  pray  thee  rather  by  the  hand  of  whomsoever 

14  thou  wilt.  And  the  anger  of  Yahweh  was  kindled  against 
Moses,  and    he    said.  Is    there  not    Aaron   thy  brother,  the 

15  '  Levite  '  ?  I  know  that  he  can  speak  well  [  .  .  .  ]  And 
thou  shalt  speak  unto  him,  and  put  the  words  in  his  mouth  : 
and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth,  and  with   his  mouth,  and  will 

16  teach  you  what  ye  shall  do.  And  he  shall  be  thy  spokesman 
unto  the  people  :  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  he  shall  be 
to  thee  a  mouth,  and  thou,  shalt  be  to   him  as  God    [to  the 

29  priest]     So  Moses  and  Aaron  went  and  gathered  together  all 

30  the  elders  of  the  children  of  Israel  :  and  he  [Moses]  spake 
all  the  words  which  Yahweh  had  spoken,  and  did  the  signs  in 

31  the  sight  of  the  people.  And  the  people  believed  when  they 
heard  that  Yahweh  had  visited  the  children  of  Israel,  and 
that  he  had  seen  their 'affliction,'  and  they  'bowed  their 
heads  and  worshipped.' 

The    Appeal    'i-o    Pharaoh.     Moses    and    the    Elders    meet 

REBU'FF,    AND    the   PEOPLE'S    BURDENS    ARE    INCREASED. 

[Then  Moses  and  the  elders  of  Israel  came  unto  Pharaoh] 
5 — 3  and  said.  The  (lod  of  the  Hebrews  hath  '  met  '    with    us  : 
let  us  go,  we  pray  thee,  'three  days'  journey  into  the  wilder- 
ness,'  and  sacrifice  unto   Yahweh    our    God;    lest  he   'fall 
upon  '  us  with  pestilence,  or  with  the  sword. 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  285 

And  Pharaoh  said,  Behold,  the  people  of  the  land  are  now    5 
many,  and   would  ye  make  them   rest  from  their  burdens  ? 
And  the  same  day  Pharaoh  commanded  the  '  taskmasters  '    6 
of  the    people,   saying.  Ye   shall   no   more  give  the   people    7 
straw  to  make  brick,  as  heretofore  :  let  them  go  and  gather 
straw  for  themselves.     And  the  stint  of  bricks,  which  they    8 
did  make  heretofore,  ye  shall  lay  upon    them  ;  ye   shall  not 
diminish    aught   theieof  :  for  they    be  idle  ;  therefore  they 
cry,  saying.  Let  us  go  and  sacrifice  to  our  God.     Let  heav-  •  9 
ier  work  be  laid  upon  the  men,  that  they  may  labor  therein, 
and    they   will    not    regard    lying    words.       And    the  '  task-  10 
masters  '  of  the   people  went  out,  and  spake   to  the  people, 
saying.  Thus  saith  Pharaoh,  I  will  not  give   you   straw.     Go  11 
yourselves,  get  you  straw  where  ye  can   find    it  :  for   naught 
of  your  work  shall    be    diminished.       So    the   people    were  12 
'  scattered   abroad '  throughout  all    the    land    of    Egypt    to 
gather    stubble    for    straw.      And    the    '  taskmasters '    were  13 
urgent,    saying.    Fulfil    your    works,    [your]    daily  stint,  as 
when  there  was  straw.     And  the   ofificers  of  the  children  of  14 
Israel,    which    Pharaoh's  '  taskmasters  '  had  set   over  them, 
were  beaten,  and  demanded.  Wherefore  have  ye  not  fulfilled 
your  stint  both   yesterday  and  to-day,  in   making    brick    as 
heretofore  ?      Then  the   ofificers    of  the    children    of  Israel  15 
came  and  cried  unto  Pharaoh,  saying,  Wherefore  dealest  thou 
thus  with  thy  servants  ?     There   is  no  straw  given  unto  thy  16 
servants,  and  they  say  to   us.  Make  brick  :  and,  behold,  thy 
servants  are  beaten;  but  .  .  .  .*     But  he  said.  Ye  are  idle,  ye  17 
are  idle:  therefore  ye  say.  Let  us  go  and  sacrifice  to  Yahweh. 
Go  therefore  now,  and   work  ;  for  there    shall    no  straw  be  18 
given  you,  yet  shall  ye  deliver  the  stint  of  bricks.     And  the  19 
officers  of  the  children  of  Israel   did   see   that  they  were  in 
evil  case,  when  it  was  said,  Ye   shall  not   minish  aught  from 
your  bricks,  [your]  daily  stint.     And   they  met    Moses  and  20 
the  elders,  who  were  awaiting  them,  as  they  came  forth  from 
Pharaoh  :  and  they  said  unto  them,  'Yahweh  look  upon  you,  21 

*  Unintelligible:   I, XX.  translate  (from  a  different  text)  "  thou  wrongest  thy 
people." 


286  THE  J  UD.EAN  PROPHE  TIC  NARK  A  TI VE. 

and  judge  '  ;  because  ye   have  made  us  '  odious  '  in  the  eyes 

of  Pharaoh,  and  in  the  eyes  of  his  servants,  to  put  a  sword 

2  2  in  their  hand  to  slay  us.    And  Moses  returned  unto  Yahweh. 

and  said,  'Lord,'  wherefore   hast  thou  'evil   entreated  '  this 

23  people  ?  why  is  it  that  thou  hast  sent  me  ?  For  since  I 
came  to  Pharaoh  to  speak  in  thy  name,  he  hath  '  evil  en- 
treated '  this  people  ;  neither  hast  thou  delivered  thy  people 
at  all. 

Thk  Wonders  of  Egypj'.    First  Plague:    Yahweh  smites  the 
Nile  and  Destroys  its  Fish. 

7 — 14  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Pharaoh's  heart  is  'sul- 
len,' he  refuseth  to  let  the  people  go.     [Clo  in  unto  Pharaoh] 

16  and  say  unto  him,  Yahweh,  the  God  of  the  Hebrews;  hath 
sent  me  unto  thee,  saying,  Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may 
'  worship  '  me  in  the  wilderness  :  and,  behold,  hitherto  thou 

17  hast    not    hearkened.     Thus    saith    Yahweh,    behold,    I  will 

18  smite  [the  Nile].     And  the  fish  that  is  in  the  Nile  shall  die, 
.    and  the  Nile  shall  '  stink  '  ;  and   the   Egyptians  shall   loathe 

19  to  drink  water  from  the  Nile.     [So   on  the  morrow  Yahweh 
21  smote    the     Nile.]       And  the   fish    that    was    in    the    Nile 

died;  and    the   Nile   'stank,' and   the   Egyptians  could  not 

24  drink  water  from  the  Nile.  And  all  the  Egyptians  digged 
round  about  the  Nile  for  water  to  drink  ;  for  they  could  not 
drink  of  the  water  of  the  Nile. 

The  Second  Plague  :  Frogs. 

7 — 25     And   when  seven  days  were  fulfilled  after  that  Yahweh 

8 — I     had     smitten     the    Nile,     Yahweh     said     unto     Moses : 

Go  in  unto  Pharaoh,  and   say   unto  him.  Thus  saith  Yahweh, 

2  Let  my  people  go,  that  they  may  '  worship  '  me.  And  if 
thou  refuse  to  let  them  go,   behold,  I  will  smite  all  thy  bor- 

3  ders  with  frogs  :  and  the  Nile  shall  swarm  with  frogs,  which 
shall  go  up  and  come  into  thine  house,  and  into  thy  bed- 
chamber, and  upon  thy  bed,  and  into  the  house  of  thy  ser- 
vants, and  upon  thy  people,  and   into  thine  ovens,  and  into 

4  thy  '  kneading-troughs  "  :  and  the  frogs  shall    come  up  both 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  287 

upon  thee,  and  upon  thy  people,  and   upon  all  thy  servants. 
[And  Yahweh  did  so  on  the  morrow,  and  the  frogs  covered 
the  land.]     Then    Pharaoh   called   for  Moses  and  said,  '  In-    8 
treat '  Yahweh,  that    he   take  away  the  frogs  from  me,  and 
from  my  people  ;  and  1  will  let  the  people  go,  that  they  may 
sacrilice  unto  Yahweh.    And  Moses  said  unto  Pharaoh,  Only    9 
command  me  :  for  what  time  shall  1    '  intreat '  for  thee,  and 
for  thy  servants,  and  for  thy   people,  that   the   frogs  be  de- 
stroyed from  thee  and   thy  houses,  and   remain    in   the  Nile 
only  ?    And  he  said,  For  to-morrow.     And  he  said.  It  shall  be  10 
according  to  thy   word.     And   the   frogs  shall    depart  from  11 
thee,  and  from  thy  houses,  and  from  thy  servants,  and  from 
thy  people  ;  they  shall  remain  in  the  Nile  only.     And  Moses  12 
went  out  from  Pharaoh  :  and  Moses  cried  unto   Yahweh  con- 
cerning  the    frogs   which   he    had    brought    upon    Pharaoh. 
And  Yahweh  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses  ;  and  the  13 
frogs  died  out  of  the  houses,  out  of  the  courts,  and  out  of  the 
fields.     And   they  gathered    them  together    in    heaps  :    and  14 
the  land  '  stank.'     But    when  Pharaoh    saw   that  there    was  15 
respite,  he  made  his  heart  '  sullen  '  [and  did    not  let  the  peo- 
ple go]. 

The  Third  Plague  :  Gad-Flies. 

And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Rise  up  early  in  the  morn-  20 
ing,  and   stand   before  Pharaoh  ;  and    say   unto  him,    Thus 
saith   Yahweh,  Let  my   people   go,  that  they  may  'worship' 
me.     Else,  if  thou  wilt  not  let   my  people  go,  behold,  I   will  21 
send  gad-flies   upon   thee,  and  upon  thy  servants,  and  upon 
thy    people,    and    into    thy    houses  :  and    the  houses  of  the 
Egyptians  shall  be  full  of  gad-flies,  and  even    the    '  ground  ' 
whereon  they  are.     But  I  will  sever  in  that  day  '  the  land  of  22 
Goshen,'  in  which  my  people   dwell,  that  no  gad-fly  shall  be 
there.     And   I   will   put  ...  *  between    my  people  and  thy  23 
people  :  by  to-morrow  shall  this  sign  be.     And  Yahweh  did  24 
so;  and   there   came  '  grievous  '   gad-flies   into  the  house  of 
Pharaoh,  and  into  his  servants'  houses  :  and  in  all  the  land 

*  The  untranslated  word  elsewhere  means  "  redemption." 


288  THE  JUD.KAX  PROPHETIC  AARKA  JIVE. 

of  Egypt    the   land    was   ruined   by   reason  of  the  gad-flies- 

25  And    Pharaoh  called  for   Moses  and   said,   Go,   sacrifice  to 

26  your  God  in  the  land.  And  Moses  said.  It  is  not  meet  so  to 
do  ;  for  we  shall  sacrifice  that  which  the  Egyptians  abhor  to 
Yahweh  our  God.  What  then  if  we  sacrifice  a  thing  abhor- 
rent to  the  Egyptians  before  their  eyes  ?    Will  they  not  stone 

27  us?  We  will  go 'three  days'  journey  into  the  wilderness,' 
and  sacrifice  to  Yahweh  our  God,  as  he  hath  commanded  us. 

28  And  Pharaoh  said,  I  will  let  you  go,  that  ye  may  sacrifice  to 
Yahweh  your  God  in  the  wilderness  ;  only  ye  shall  not  go  very 

29  far  away  :  *  intreat '  for  me.  And  Moses  said.  Behold,  I  go  out 
from  thee,  and  I  will  '  intreat '  Yahweh  that  the  gad-flies 
may  depart  from  Pharaoh,  from  his  servants,  and  from  his 
people,  to-morrow  :  only  let  not  Pharaoh  deal  deceitfully 
any  more   in   not   letting  the  people  go  to  sacrifice  to  Yah- 

30  weh.     So  Moses  went    out    from  Pharaoh,  and    '  intreated  ' 

31  Yahweh.  And  Yahweh  did  according  to  the  word  of  Moses  ; 
and  he  removed  the  gad-flies  from  Pharaoh,  from  his  ser- 

32  vants,  and  from  his  people  ;  '  there  remained  not  one.'  And 
Pharaoh  made  his  heart  '  sullen  '  this  time  also,  and  he  did 
not  let  the  people  go. 

The  Fourth  Plague:  Murrain. 

9        Then  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Go  in  unto  Pharaoh,  and 

2  tell  him.  Thus  saith  Yahweh,  the  God  of  the  Hebrews,  Eet 

3  my  people  go,  that  they  may  *  worship'  me.  For  if  thou 
refuse  to  let  them  go,  and  wilt  hold  them  still,  behold,  the 
hand  of  Yahweh  shall  be  upon  thy  cattle  which  is  in  the 
field,  upon  the  horses,  upon  the  asses,  upon  the  camels,  upon 
the  herds,  and  upon  the  flocks  in  a  '  very  grievous'  murrain. 

4  And  Yahweh  shall  sever  between  the  'cattle  of  Israel '  and  the 
cattle    of    Egypt  :  and    there    shall    nothing   die  of  all    that 

5  belongeth  to  the  children  of  Israel.  And  Yahweh  appointed 
a  set  time,  saying.  To-morrow  Yahweh  shall  do  this  thing  in 

6  the  land.  And  Yahweh  diil  that  thing  on  the  morrow,  and 
all  the   cattle  of   Egypt  died  :  but  of  the  'cattle  of  the  chil- 


CVA'C".  800  B.  C.  289 

dren  of  Israel '  '  died  not  one.'     And   Pharaoh  sent,  and,  be-     7 
hold,  there   was  'not  so  much  as  one  '  of    the  'cattle   of  the 
Israelites  '  dead.     But  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  was  '  sullen,'  and 
he  did  not  let  the  people  go. 

The  Fifth  Plague:  Hail. 

And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Rise  up  early  in  the  morn-  13 
ing,  and   stand    before    Pharaoh,   and    say  unto   him,   'Thus 
saith  Yahweh,  the  God  of  the    Hebrews,'    Let  my  people  go, 
that  they  may  worship  me.     Standest  thou   still   out  against  17 
my   people,   that   thou   wilt   not   let  them  go  ?     Behold,  '  to-  18 
morrow  about  this  time  '  1  will  cause  it  to  rain  a  '  very  griev- 
ous '  hail,    such   as    hath  not   been  in  Egypt  since  the  day  it 
was  founded  even  until  now.    Then  Yahweh  rained  hail  upon  23b 
the  land  of  Egypt,  and  an   incessant  fire  flashing  amidst  the 
hail.     So  there  was  a  '  very   grievous  '  hail   such  as  had   not  24 
been  in  all  the  land  of  Egypt  since  it    belonged   to  a  nation, 
and  the  hail  smote  every  '  herb  of  the  field,'  and  brake  every 
'  tree  of  the  field.'     Only   in   '  the   land  of  Cioshen,'   where  26 
the  children  of  Israel  were,  was  there  no  hail.      And  Pharaoh  27 
sent,  and  called  for  xVIoses,  and  said,  I  have  sinned  this  time  : 
Yahweh  is  right  and  I  and  my  people  are  wrong.     '  Intreat  '  28 
Yahweh  ;  for  there   hath   been  enough  of  thunderings   and 
hail  ;  and   I    will   let  you   go,  and   ye  shall  stay   no   longer. 
And  Moses  said  unto  him,  As  soon  as  I  am  gone  out  of  the  29 
city,  I  will  spread  abroad  my  hands  unto  Yahweh  [in  prayer]; 
the   thunders   shall   cease,  neither   shall   there   be  any  more 
hail.     (Now  the  flax  and  the    barley    were   smitten  :   for   the  31 
barley  was  in  the  ear,  and  the  flax  in  bloom.     But  the  wheat  32 
and  the  spelt  were   not  smitten  :   for  they   were   not  grown 
up.)     So    Moses    went    out    of    the  city  from  Pharaoh,  and  ^^ 
spread  abroad  his  hands   unto   Yahweh  :  and  the  thunders 
and  hail  ceased,  and  the  rain  was  not  poured  upon  the  earth. 
And  when  Pharaoh   saw   that  the  rain  and  the  hail  and  the  34 
thunders    were   ceased,    he    sinned  yet  more,  and  made  his 
heart  '  sullen,'  he  and  his  servants. 


290  THE  JUD.-tlAN  PROP  HE  TIC  NARRA  TI  I'E. 

The  Sixth  Plague:  Locusts. 

10 — 36  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Go  in  unto  Pharaoh,  and 
say  unto  him,  Thus  saith  Yahweh,  the  God  of  the  Hebrews, 
How  long  wilt  thou  refuse   to  humble  thyself  before  me  ? 

4  let  my  people  go,  that  they  may  '  serve  '  me.  Else,  if  thou 
refuse  to  let  my  people  go,   behold,   to-morrow  will   I  bring 

5  locusts  into  thy  '  border  : '  and  they  shall  cover  the  face  of 
the  earth,  that  one  shall  not  be  able  to  see  the  earth  :  and 
they  shall  eat  the  residue  of  that  which  is  escaped,  which 
remaineth  unto  you  from  the  hail,  and  shall  eat   every  tree 

6  which  groweth  for  you  out  of  the  field  :  and  thy  houses 
shall  be  filled,  and  the  houses  of  all  thy  servants,  and  the 
houses  of  all  the  Egyptians  ;  'as  neither  thy  fathers  nor  thy 
fathers'  fathers  have  seen,  since  the  day  that  they 
were  upon  the  "ground    unto  this  day.'     And  he  turned,  and 

7  went  out  from  Pharaoh.  And  Pharaoh's  servants  said  unto 
him.  How  long  shall  this  man  be  a  snare  unto  us  ?  let  the 
men  go,  that  they  may  '  worship  '  Yahweh  their  God  :  know- 

8  est  thou  not  yet  that  Egypt  is  destroyed  ?  And  Moses  and 
the  elders  were  brought  again  unto  Pharaoh  :  and  he  said 
unto  them.  Go,  '  worship  '  Yahweh   your  God  :  but   who  are 

9  they  that  shall  go  ?  And  Moses  said.  We  will  go  with  our 
young  and  with  our  old,  with  our  sons  and  with  our  daugh- 
ters, with  our  '  flocks   and   with   our   herds  '  will  we  go  ;  for 

10  we  must  hold  a  feast  unto  Yahweh.  And  he  said  unto 
them.  So  be  Yahweh  with  you,  as  I  will  let  you  go,  and  your 

11  little  ones  :  look  to  it  ;  for  ye  mean  mischief.  Not  so  :  go 
now  ye  that  are  men,  and  'worship  '  Yahweh  ;  since  that  is 
what  ye  desire.     And  they  were  driven  out  from   Pharaoh's 

13b  presence.  Then  Yahweh  brought  an  '  east  wind  '  upon  the 
land  all  that  day,  and  all  the  night  ;  and  when  it  was  morn- 
ing, the  '  east  wind '  brought  the  locusts,  and  they  rested  in 

14  all  the  *  borders  '  of  Egypt  ;  *  very  grievous  '  were  they,  '  be- 
fore them  there  were  no  such  locusts  as  they,  neither  after 

15  them  shall  be  such.'  For  they  covered  the  face  of  tiu' 
whole   earth,    so  that  the   land   was  darkened;  and    'there 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  291 

remained  not  any  '  green  thing,  either  tree  or  '  herb  of  the 
field,'  through  all  the  land  of  Egypt.     Then   Pharaoh  called  16 
for  Moses   in  haste  ;  and    he    said,    I  have   sinned    against 
Yahweh  your  God,  and  against  you.     Now  therefore  forgive  17 
I  pray  thee,  my  sin   only  this    once,  and   '  intreat  '   Yahweh 
your  God,  that   he   may  take    away    from    me    this  deathly 
[plague]    only.     And  he   went  out  from  Pharaoh,  and  'in-  18 
treated  '  Yahweh.     And  Yahweh  turned  an  exceeding  strong  19 
'  west  wind,'  which  took  up  the  locusts,  and  drove  them  into 
the  Red    Sea  ;  there   '  remained   not  one  '   locust   in  all  the 
'border'  of   Egypt.     And   Pharaoh   called    Moses,  and  said,  24 
Go   ye,  worship    Yahweh  ;  only  let  your   '  flocks   and  your 
herds '   be   stayed  :  let   your  little    ones    also  go  with    you. 
And  Moses  said,  Thou  must  also  give  into  our  hands  sacri-  25 
fices  and  burnt  offerings,  that  we  may  sacrifice  unto  Yahweh 
our  God.     Our  '  cattle  '  also    shall  go   with   us  ;  there  shall  26 
'  not  a  hoof  '  be  left  behind  ;  for   thereof  must  we   take   to 
worship  Yahweh  our  God  ;  and  we  know  not  with  what   we 
must  worship  Yahweh,  until  we  come  thither.     And  Pharaoh  28 
said  unto  him.  Get  thee  from  me,  take  heed  to  thyself,  see 
my  face  no  more  ;   for  '  in  the  day  thou  seest   my  face  thou 
shalt  die.'     And  Moses  said.  Thou  hast  spoken  well  ;  I  will  29 
see  thy  face  again  no  more. 

And  he  said.  Thus  saith  Yahweh,  About  midnight  will  11 — 4 
I  go  out  into  the  midst   of  Egypt :  and   all   the  firstborn  in    5 
the  land  of  Egypt  shall  die,  from  the   firstborn   of  Pharaoh 
that  sitteth  upon  his  throne,  even  unto  the   firstborn  of  the 
*  maidservant  '   that   sitteth  at   the  hand    mill.      And   there    6 
shall  be  a  great  cry  throughout  all  the  land   of  Egypt,  '  such 
as   there    hath    been    none    like  it,  nor  shall  be   like  it  any 
more.'     But  against  any  of  the  children  of  Israel  shall  '  not    7 
a  dog  wag  his  tongue,'  against  man  or    '  beast.'     And  all    8 
these  thy  servants  shall  come  down  unto  me,  and  bow  down 
themselves  unto  me,  saying.  Get  thee  out,  and  all  the  people 
that  follow  thee  :  and  after  that  I  will  go  out.     So  he  went 
out  from  Pharaoh  in  hot  anger. 


293  THE  JUD.EAN  PROPHETlL  NARRATIVE. 

The    Seventh    Plague:    Yahweh    Smites   the   Firstborn   of 
Egypt  and  Delivers  Israel.     The  Passover. 

12 — 2  1  Then  Moses  called  for  all  the  elders  of  Israel,  and 
said  unto  them,  (lo  forth,  and  lake  you  lambs  and  kill  them. 

22  And  ye  shall  take  a  bunch  of  hyssop,  and  dip  it  in  the  blood 
that  is  in  the  bason,  and  strike  the  lintel  and  the  two  side 
posts  with  the  blood  that  is  in  the  bason  ;  and   none   of   you 

23  shall  go  out  of  the  door  of  his  house.  For  Yahweh  will  pass 
through  to  smite  the  Egyptians  ;  and  when  he  seeth  the 
blood  upon  the  lintel,  and  on  the  two  side  posts,  Yahweh 
will  "  pass  over  "  the  door,  and  will  not  suffer  '  the  destroyer  ' 

27b  to  come  in  unto  your  houses  to  smite  you.     And  the  people 

27a  '  bowed  the    head    and    worshipped.'       [Therefore    do   the 

children  of  Israel  keep  this  feast  unto  Yahweh  ;  for  that  he 

"passed  over"  the  houses  of  the  children  of  Israel  in  Egypt 

when    he    smote  the  Egyptians  and  delivered  their  houses.] 

42a  It  is  a  night  of  watching  unto  Yahweh  for  that  he  brought 

them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

29       And  it   came  to  pass  at  midnight,  that  Yahweh  smote  all 

the  firstborn  in   the  land  of   Egypt,  'from   the   firstborn   of 

Pharaoh  that    sat  upon  his  throne  unto  the  firstborn  of  the 

30b  captive  '   that  was  in  the  dungeon  ;  and  there  was  a  great 

cry   in  Egypt  ;    for   there    was    '  not  a  house  '  where    there 

30a  was   not   one   dead.'     And    Pharaoh   rose   up   in   the  night, 

(11 — 8)  he,  and   all   his   servants,  and  all  the   Egyptians,  [and 

came    and   bowed    themselves     down    unto   Moses,    saying. 

Thus  saith    Pharaoh,  Get    thee  out,  both  thou  and   all    the 

31b  people  that  follow  thee]   and  go,  '  worship  '    Yahweh,  as  ye 

32  have    said.       Take   both  your  '  llot;ks  and  your  herds,'  as  ye 

TyT^  have  said,    and   be    gone  ;     and    bless    me    also.       And    the 

Egyptians   '  were   urgent '  u))on   the    people,    to    send    them 

out  of  the  land  in  haste  ;   for  they  said,  We  be  all  dead  men. 

34  And    the  people  took   their  dough    before  it  was  leavened, 

their   'kneading  troughs'   being   bound  up  in  their    clothes 

upon  their  shoulders. 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  293 

The  Exodus.     Origin  ok    thk    Feast  of   Unleavened  Cakes, 
AND  Law  of  Firstlinos. 

And   the  children  of   Israel    journeyed   from    Rameses  '  to  37 
Succoth,'  about  six   hundred    thousand  on    foot    that    were 
men,  besides  children.     And  a  mixed  multitude  went  up  also  T,d> 
with  them  ;  and  '  flocks,  and  herds,'  even  very  much  '  cattle.', 
And    they   baked    "  unleavened  cakes  "  of  the  dough    which  39 
they  brought  forth  out  of  Egypt,  for   it  was  not    leavened  ; 
because  they  were  thrust  out  of  Egypt,  and  could  not  tarry, 
neither    had    they    prepared    for   themselves    any    victual. 
And  Moses    said   unto    the  people,  This    day  ye  are  13 — 3a-4 
going    forth    in    the   month    '  Abib.'     And   it  shall    be  when     5 
Yahweh  shall  bring  thee  into  the  land  which  he  sware  unto 
thy  fathers  to  give  thee,  a '  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,' 
that  thou  shalt  keep  this  service  in  this  month.      Seven  days    6 
thou  shalt  eat  unleavened  cakes,  and  in  the  seventh  day  shall 
be  a  feast  to  Yahweh.      Unleavened  cakes    shall   be    eaten    7 
throughout   the   seven    days  ;  and    there    shall   no  leavened 
bread  be  seen  with  thee,  neither  shall  there  be  leaven  seen 
with  thee,  in  all  thy  '  borders.' 

And     it   shall    be     when     Yahweh    shall     bring    thee   into  11 
the     '  land   of     the     Canaanite,'     as     he     sware     unto     thee 
and    to     thy     fathers,    and    shall   give     it     thee,     that     thou  12 
shalt   cause   to   pass   over   unto   Yahweh  all    that    '  openeth 
the   womb,'   and   every  firstling   which  thou    hast  that    Com- 
eth   of    a    beast  ;    they   shall    be     Yahweh's.        And    every  13 
firstling  of   an  ass    thou  shalt    redeem   with  a  lamb  ;  and  if 
thou  wilt  not  redeem  it,  then  thou  shalt  break  its  neck  :  and 
all  the  firstborn  of  man  among  thy  sons  shalt  thou  redeem. 

And    *Yahweh  went   before    them  by  day  in   a  'pillar  of  21 
cloud,'  to  lead    them  the   way  ;  and   by    night    in  a    '  pillar 
of  fire,'  to  give   them   light  ;    that   they   might    go    by    day 
and  by  night  :   'the  pillar  of  cloud'   by  day,  and    the  'pillar  22 
of  fire'  by  night,  departed  not  from  the  people. 

*  Vv.  2if.  would  seem  more  appropriately  placed  after  .\ii.  3S,  but  in  the 
uncertainty  as  to  whether  ])arts  of  J  are  not  missing,  we  do  not  venture  to 
transpose. 


294  THE  JUD.EAX  PROPHETIC  NARRA  TI VE. 

The  Passage  of  the  Red  Sea. 

14—5  And  it  was  told  the  king  of  Egypt  that  the  people 
were  fled  ;  and  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  and  of  his  servants  was 
'  changed  '  towards  the  people,  and  they  said,  What  is  this 
we  have  done,  that  wc  have  let   Israel  go  from   serving  us  ? 

6  And  he   made   ready  his  chariot,  and   took    his  people   with 

7  him,  and  all   the   chariots   of    Egypt,     [and    pursued    after 

10  them].  And  when  Pharaoh  drcv/  nigh,  the  children  of  Israel 
lifted    up    their  eyes,   and,  behold,   the   Egyptians  marched 

11  after  them  ;  and  they  were  sore  afraid.  And  they  said  unto 
Moses,  Because  there  were  no  graves  in  Egypt,  hast  thou 
taken  us  away  to  die  in  the  wilderness  ?  wherefore  hast   thou 

12  'dealt'  thus  with  us,  to  bring  us  forth  out  of  Egypt?  Is 
not  this  the  word  that  we  spake  unto  thee  in  Egypt,  saying. 
Let  us  alone,  that  we  may  serve  the  Egyptians  ?  For  it 
were   better   for  us    to  serve    the  Egyptians,  than    that    we 

13  should  die  in  the  wilderness.  And  Moses  said  unto  the 
people,  Fear  ye  not,  stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  Yah- 
weh,  which  he  will  work  for  you  to-day  :  for  such  as  ye  have 
seen  the  Egyptians  to-day,  thus  shall  ye   see  them  again  no 

14  more  forever.     Yahweh  shall   fight   for    you,    and  ye    shall 
19  hold  your  peace.     Then  the  '  pillar  of  cloud  '  removed  from 

before  them,    and    stood    behind   them  :  and   it  gave    forth 

lightnings  through  the  night,  so  that  the   one  came  not  near 

21  the  other  all  the  night.     And  Yahweh   caused   the  sea  to  go 

[back]  by  a  'strong  east  wind'  all   the   night,   and  made  the 

24  sea  dry  land.  And  it  came  to  pass  '  in  the  watch  before 
the  dawn,'  that  Yahweh  'looked  forth  '  upon  the  host  of  the 
Egyptians  through   the   '  pillar    of  fire   and  of    cloud,'    and 

25  threw  the  Egyptian  host  into  confusion  ;  so  that  the  Egyp- 
tians said.  Let  us  flee   from  the   face  of  Israel  ;  for  \'ahweh 

27  fighteth  for  them  against  the  Egyptians.  And  the  sea  re- 
turned to  its  wonted  flow  '  when  the  morning  appeared,' 
while  the  Egyptians   were   fleeing  against   it  ;  and   Yahweh 

28  shook  off  the  Egyptians  in  the   midst   of  the  sea;  *  there  re- 
30  mained  not  so  much  as  one  of  them.'     Thus  \'alnveh  saved 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  295 

Israel    that    day    out   of  the   hand  of  the    Egyptians ;    and 
Israel  saw  the  Egyptians  dead  upon  the  seashore. 

Then  '  sang  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel  this  song  '  15 
unto  Yahweh,  and  spake,  saying, 

I  will  sing  unto  Yahweh,  for  he  is  highly  exalted. 

The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  hurled  into  the  sea. 

Marah,  Elim,  and  Massah. 

And  Moses  led  Israel  onward  from  the  Red  Sea,  and  they  22 
went  out   into  the  wilderness  of  Shur  ;  and  they  went  '  three 
days  in  the   wilderness,'  and    found   no    water.     And    they  23 
came  to  Marah,  but   they   could  not   drink   of  the  waters  of 
Marah,  for  they  were  "bitter  ":  therefore  the  name  of  it  was 
called   Marah   (/,  t\  "  Bitterness  ").     And   the    people  '-  mur-  24 
mured  '  against  Moses,  saying.  What   shall  we  drink  ?     And  25 
he    cried    unto    Yahweh  ;    and    Yahweh    shewed  him  a  tree, 
and  he  cast  it  into  the   waters,  and   the    waters  were  made 
sweet.     And  they  came  to  Elim,  where  were  twelve  springs  27 
of  water,  and  threescore  and   ten  palm  trees  :  and  they  en- 
camped there  by  the  waters.     [And  on   the  third  day  they 
came  to  Massah.]     And   the    people    thirsted  there  for    17—3 
water;  and  the  people  '  murmured '  against  Moses,  and  said, 
Wherefore  hast  thou  brought  us  up  out  of  P^gypt,  to  kill  us 
and  our  children  and  our   '  cattle  '  with  thirst  ?     [If  Yahweh  (7) 
be  among  us  let  him  give  us  water  that  we  may  drink.     And 
Moses  rebuked  the  people  and   said].  Wherefore   do  ye    put  2b 
Yahweh  to  the  "  proof  "  ?     [If  Yahweh   delight  in  us  he  will 
give  us  water  even  here   in   the  desert.     And  Yah-  (Dt.  33 — 8) 
weh  said  unto   Moses,  By  this   I   have  "  proved  "   thee  that 
thou  art  faithful.  ...     So   he  gave   them    water    for    them- 
selves and  their  cattle.     And   the  name   of  the    place  was 
called]  Massah  (/.  e.  "  Proving  ")   because  they   put  Yahweh     7 
to  the  "  proof,"  saying,  '  Is  Yahweh  among  us  '  or  not  ? 

The  Theophany  at  Sinai.    Yahweh  Prepares   Moses,  Aaron 
and  the  Priests  to  Receive  a  Law. 

[And     wher.   they     were     departed     from     Massah     they 


296  THE  JUILEAA  PROPHETIC  NARRA  Tl  I 'E. 

19 — 2b    came  to    Sinai].     And    Israel    encamped    there  before 

i8  the  mount.     And    mount  'Sinai  '  was  altogether  on  smoke, 

because  Yahweh  had  '  come  down  '  upon  it  in  fire  :  and  the 

smoke  thereof  '  ascended    as  the  smoke   of  a  furnace,'  and 

20  the  whole  mount  quaked  greatly.  So  Yahweh  '  came  down  ' 
upon  mount  'Sinai,' to  the  '  top  of  the  mount ':  and  Yah- 
weh called   Moses   to  the  'top  of    the  mount";  and   Moses 

21  went  up.  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Go  down,  charge 
the  people,  lest  they  '  break  through  '  unto  Yahweh  to  '  gaze,' 

22  and  great  numbers  of  them  fall  dead.  And  let  the  '  priests' 
also,  which  come  near  to  Yahweh,  sanctify  themselves,   lest 

24  Yahweh  '  break  forth  '  upon  them.  And  thou  shalt  come  up, 
thou,  and  Aaron  with  thee,  and  the  '  priests  '  :  but  let  not  'the 
people  break    through'  to  come   up    unto  Yahweh,   lest    he 

11  'break  forth  '  upon  them.  For  to-morrow  Yahweh  will  come 
down    in   the   sight  of  all  the   ])eople   upon   mount    '  Sinai  ;  ' 

12  and  thou  shalt  set  bounds  unto  the  people  round  about, 
saying,  Take  heed  to  yourselves,  that  ye  go  not  up  into  the 
mount,  or  touch  the  'border'  of  it  :   whosoever  toucheth  the 

13  mount  shall  be  surely  put  to  death  ;  no  hand  shall  touch 
him,  but  he  shall  surely  be  stoned,  or  shot  through  ;  whether 
it  be    '  beast  '    or    man,    it    shall    not   live  :   when   the  '  ram's 

25  horn  '  soundeth  long,  these  shall  come  up  to  the  mount.  So 
Moses  went  down  unto  the  jieople,  and  said  unto  them  [  .  .  .  ] 

YAHWRH'S    CoVKNAX  r-MF.AI.    WITH    MOSKS    AND    THE    ELDERS. 

[And  on  the  morrow  there  were   lightnings  and   thunders 
on   the   mount  with   fire  and   smoke.      And   when   the    rams- 
horn  was   heard  sounding   long  ^'allweh   spake,  saying.   .   .   .] 
24 — I  But  unto  Moses  he  said.  Come  up  unto  Yahweh,  thou,  and 
Aaron,  Nadab,  and  Abihu,  and  seventy  of  the  elders  of  Israel  ; 
2  and    worship     ye    afar     off  :    and    Moses   alone     shall   come 
near   unto   Yahweh  :   but  thev   shall  not   come   near  ;  neither 
9  shall    the    people   go    up   with    hiin.     'I'hen    went    u\)  Moses, 
and   Aaron,  Naclab,  and  Abihu,  antl   seventy  of  the  elders  of 
10  Israel  :   and   they   saw   the    Cod    of    Israel  ;   and    there   was 
under  his  feet  as   it  were   a    paved  work    of   sap]-)liire   stone. 


CIKC.  800  L'.  c.  2i»r 

and  as  it  were   the   very  heaven   for  clearness.     And   upon  1 1 
the  nobles  of  the  children  of  Israel  he  laid  not  his  hand  :  and 
they  beheld  (iod,  and  did  eat  and  drink  [a  covenant  mealj. 

The  Covenant  at  Sinai.     The  Ten  Words  Written  on    the 
Tables  of  Stone. 

And   Yahweh  said   unto   Moses,  Hew   thee  two  tables    of  34 
'  stones.'     And    be    ready  by  the   morning,  and   come    up   in     2 
the  morning  unto   mount  '  Sinai,'  and   present   thyself  there 
to  me  on  the  '  top  of  the  mount.'      And  no  man  shall  come    3 
up   with  thee,  neither  let  any   man   be   seen   throughout  all 
the  mount  ;  neither  let  the  '  flocks  nor  herds  '  feed  before 
that  mount.     So   Moses   rose   up    early  in  the   morning,  and     4 
went   up  unto   mount   '  Sinai,'  as   Yahweh   had   commanded 
him,  and   took    in   his    hand   two    tables    of    'stones.'     And     5 
Yahweh  '  descended  '  in   the   cloud,  and   he   [MosesJ   stood 
with  him  there  and  'called  upon  the  name  of  Yahweh.'     And  10 
he  said,  Behold,  I  make   a   covenant    in   the    presence  of  all 
thy  people. 

Thou    shalt  worship    no  other   god  :  for   Yahweh,  whose  14 
name  is  Jealous,  is  a  jealous  God  : 

Thou  shalt  make  thee  no  molten  gods.  17 

All  that  '  openeth  the  womb  '  is  mine  ;  the  firstlings  of  ox  19 
and  sheep.     And  the  firstling  of  an   ass  thou  shalt  redeem  20 
with  a  lamb  :   and  if  thou  wilt  not  redeem  it,  then  thou  shalt 
break  its  neck. 

All  the  firstborn  of  thy  sons  thou  shalt  redeem  nor  let 
them  see  my  face  empty  handed. 

Six  days  thou  mayest  work,  but  on  the  seventh  day  thou  21 
shalt    rest  :  in  plowing  time  and  in  harvest  thou  shalt  rest. 

The  feast  of   unleavened   cakes   shalt  thou  keep.     Seven  iS 
days  thou  shalt  eat  unleavened  cakes  as  I  commanded  thee, 
at    the    time    appointed    in    the    month    '  Abib  '  :  for  in  the 
month  Abib  thou  earnest  out  from  Egypt.  22 

And  thou  shalt  observe  the  feast  of  weeks,  [even]  of  the 
first  fruits  of  wheat  harvest,  and  the  feast  of  ingathering  at 
the  year's  end. 

Thou  shalt  not  offer   the  blood  of  my  sacrifice  with   leav-  25 


298  THE  J  U  D.KAN  PROP  HE  TIC  NARRA  TI VE. 

ened  bread  ;  and  the   sacrifice  of  the  feast  of  the   passover 
shall  not  be  left  unto  the  morning. 

26  The  first  of  the  firstfruits  of  thy  '  ground  '  thou  shalt 
bring  unto  the  house  of  Yahweh  thy  God. 

Thou  shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  its  mother's  milk. 

27  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Write  thou  these  words  : 
for  after  the  tenor  of  these  words  I  have  made  a  covenant 
with  thee  and  with  Israel. 

28  And  he  was  there  with  Yahweh  forty  days  and  forty 
nights  ;  he  did  neither  eat  bread,  nor  drink  water.  And  he 
wrote  upon  the  tables  the  words  of  the  covenant,  the  Ten 
Commandments. 

The  Pkopi.e's  Sin.    Consecration  of  Levi. 

32 — 7  [And  it  came  to  pass  after  the  forty  days]  that  Yahweh 
spake  unto  Moses,  (io,  get  thee  down  ;  for  thy  people,  which 
thou  broughtest  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  have  '  cor- 
rupted '    themselves  :  .  .  .      I    have  seen    this    people,    and, 

10  behold,  it  is  a  'stiffnecked  '  people  :  now  therefore  leave  me 
that  my  wrath  may  wax  hot  against  them,  and  that  I  may 
'consume  '  them  :  and  '  1  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation.' 

11  And  Moses  sought  to  appease  Yahw^eh  his  Ciod,  and  said, 
Yahweh,  why  doth  thy  wrath  wax  hot  against  thy  people, 
which    thou    hast    brought    forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt 

12  with  great  power  and  with  a  mighty  hand  ^  'Wherefore 
should  the  Egyptians  speak,  saying,  For  evil  did  he  bring 
them  forth,  to  slay  them  in  the  mountains,  and  to  '  consume  ' 
them  from  the  face   of   the   earth'"     Turn   from   thy  fierce 

14  wrath,  and  '  re|)ent  '  of  this  evil  against  thy  people.  So 
Valnveh  '  repented  '  of  the  evil  which  he  said  he  would  do 
unto  his  people.     [.And  Moses  turned  and  went   down   from 

25  the    mount,    and    came    into    the    gate  of  the  camp.]     And 

;j6  when  Moses  saw  that  the  pe()|)le  were  broken  loose  ;  then 
Moses  stood  in  the  gale  of  the  camp,  and  said.  Hither  to  me, 
whosoever  is  on  Yahweh's  sitle  I      And    all    the   sons  of   Levi 

27  gathered  themselves  together  unto  him.  .And  he  said  unto 
them,  Thus  saith  ^'ah\vch,  the  dod   of    Israel,  Put   ye   every 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  299 

man  his  sword  upon  his  thigh,  and  go  to  and  fro  from  gate 
to  gate  throughout  the  camp,  and  slay  every  man  his 
brother,  and  every  man  his  companion,  and  every  man  his 
neighbor.  And  the  sons  of  Levi  did  according  to  the  word  28 
of  Moses  :  and  there  fell  of  the  people  that  day  three  thou- 
sand men.  And  Moses  said,  "  Fill  your  hand  "  [with  an  offer-  29 
ing  of  consecration  to  the  priesthood]  to-day  unto  Yahweh  ; 
for  every  man  hath  been  against  his  son,  and  against  his 
brother  ;  and  he  shall  bestow  .upon  you  a  blessing  this  day. 
And  Yahweh  smote  ....  because  they.   ...  35 

Dismissal  of  the  People   from  Sin.al     Moses'  Intercession. 

And  Yahweh   spake  unto   Moses,    Depart,    go   up   hence,  33 
thou  and  the  people  which  thou  hast   brought   up  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt,  unto  '  the  land  of  which  I  sware  '  unto  Abra- 
ham, to   Isaac,   and  to   Jacob,  saying,  Unto  thy  seed  will  I 
give    it  :  'unto    a    land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey'  :  for    3 
I  will    not   go  up   in    the    midst   of  thee  ;    for  thou     art    a 
'  stiffnecked '   people  :    lest   I   '  consume "    thee    in    the  way. 
And    Moses   was    displeased  :  and  Moses  said  Nil.  11.  lob-ii 
unto  Yahweh,  Wherefore  hast  thou  '  evil  entreated  '  thy  ser- 
vant ?  and  wherefore  have  I  not  '  found  favor  in  thy  sight,' 
that  thou  layest  the  burden  of  all  this  people  upon  me  ?    Have  1 2 
I   conceived  all   this  people  ?  have   I    brought    them   forth, 
that  thou  shouldest  say  unto  me.  Carry  them   in   thy  bosom, 
as    a   nursing-father  carrieth   the   sucking   child,  unto   '  the 
land  which  thou  swarest  unto  their  fathers '  ?     I  am  not  able  14 
to  bear  all  this  people  alone,  because  it  is  too  heavy  for  me. 
.\nd  if  thou  deal  thus  with  me,  kill  me,  I   pray   thee,  out  of  15 
hand,  '  if  I  have  found  favor  in  thy  sight  '  ;  and   let   me  not 
see  my  wretchedness.     [And  Yahweh  said,  Thou  shalt  not 
bear  the  people  alone,  for  thou  hast  found  favor  in  my  sight 
and    I   know  thee    by    name,  therefore  I  will  give  thee  aid.] 
But    Moses    said  unto    Yahweh,  See,  thou  art  say-  Ex.  33.  12 
ing  unto  me.  Bring  up  this  people  :  and  thou  hast  not  let  me 
know  whom  thou  wilt  send  with  me.     Yet  thou   hast  said,  I 
know  thee  bv  name,  and  thou  hast  also  '  found  favor  in  my 


300  THE  J I  'D^AN  PROPHETIC  NARK  A  TI I  E. 

13  sight.'  Now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  if  I  have  'found  favor 
in  thy  sight,'  shew  me  now  thy  purposes,  that  I  may  know 
thee,  to  the  end  that  I  may  '  find  favor  in  thy  sight  '  :  and 

14  consider  that  this  nation  is  thy  people.  And  he  said,  What 
if  I  go  with  thee  in  person  and  give  thee  an  'abiding-place  '  ? 

15  And   he   said    unto   him,  If  thou   go  not  in  person  with  me, 

16  carry  us  not  uj)  hence.  For  wherein  else  shall  it  be  known 
that  I  have  '  found  favor  in  thy  sight,'  I  and  thy  people?  is 
it  not  in  that  thou  goest  with  us,  so  that  we  be  separated,  I 
and  thy  people,  from  all  the  people  that  are  upon  the  face 
of  the  '  ground  '  ? 

17  And    Yahweh   said    unto    Moses,  I   will  do  this  thing  also 

18  that  thou  hast   spoken  :   for   thou    hast  '  found    favor   in   my 
19a  sight,'  and  I  know  thee  by  name.     And  he  said.  Shew  me,  I 

21  pray  thee,  thy  glory.     And  Yahweh  said.  Behold,  there  is  a 

22  place  by  me,  and  thou  shalt  stand  upon  the  rock  :  and  it 
shall  come  to  pass,  while  my  glory  passeth  by,  that  I  will 
put  thee  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock,  and  will  cover  thee   with  my 

23  hand  until  1  have  passed  by  :  and  I  will  take  away  mine 
hand,  and  thou  shalt  see  my  back  :  but  my  face  shall  not  be 

34 — 6-8  seen.  So  Yahweh  passed  by  before  him,  and  Moses 
naade  haste,  and  '  bowed  his  head  toward  the  earth,  and  wor- 

9  shipped.'  And  he  said.  If  now  1  have  '  found  grace  in  thy 
sight,'  '  O  Lord,'  let  'the  Lord,'  I  pray  thee,  go  in  the  midst 
of  us  ;  for  it  is  a  '  stiffnecked  '  people  ;  and  pardon  our  in- 
iquit\-     and     our     sin,     and    take    us    for   thine    inheritance. 

(Dt.  10.  I)  And  \'ahweh  commanded  Moses  saying  :  [Make 
thee  an  ark  of  wood  for  the  tables  of  stone  which  thou  hast 
written,  and  a  lent  for  the  ark,  and  I  will  go  before  you  unto 
the  land  wliich  1  sware  to  give  you  ;  for  I  will  not  go  up  in  the 
midst  of  \()u  lest  I  consume  you.  And  the  Levites  who 
were  faithful  to  me  when  the  ])eople  sinned  against  me,  they 
shall  be  my  priests  to  bear  the  ark  and  to  do  all  the  service 
of  the  Tent.] 

Thf.  Cominc.  ok  Hor.AK. 
[Now  Hobab  the  son  of  Reuel,  Moses' fatlicr  in  law,  heard 


CIRC.  800  /)'.  C  301 

that  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel  were  come  out  of  Egypt, 
and  he  came  to  meet  Moses  at  mount  Sinai.]  And  7 — 18 
Moses  went  out  to  meet  his  father  in  law,  and  did  obeisance, 
and  kissed  him  ;  and  they  '  asked  each  other  of  their  wel- 
fare'; and  he  brought  them  into  the  tent.  [And  Moses 
told  his  father  in  law  of  all  that  had  befallen  them,  and  how 
Yahweh  delivered  them  at  the  Red  Sea.]     And  he  said,  10 

'Blessed  be  Yahweh,'  who  delivered  you   out  of    the  hand 
of  the  Egyptians, 

And  out  of  the  hand  of  Pharaoh  ; 

Who   delivered    the   people  from   under  the    hand    of  the 
Egyptians. 

Now  I  know  that  Yahweh  is  greater  than  all  gods  :  11 

For  in  that  wherein  they  exalted  themselves  against  them. 


NUMBERS.    (Heb.     "  In  the  Wilderness.") 
Departure  from  Sinai.     Hobab  Israel's  Guide. 

And  Moses  said  unto  '  Hobab,  the  son  of  Reuel  '  the  29 — 10 
Midianite,  Moses'  father  in  law,  We  are  journeying  unto  the 
place  of  which  Yahweh  said,  I  will  give  it   you  :  come  thou 
with  us,  and   we  will    '  do   thee    good '  :    for    Yahweh    hath 
spoken   good  concerning   Israel.     And  he  said  unto  him,  I  30 
will  not  go  ;  but  I  will  depart  to  '  mine  own  land,'  and  to  my 
kindred.     And  he  said,  Leave  us   not,  I   pray  thee;  '  foras-  31 
much  '  as  thou  knowest  how  we  are  to  encamp  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and    thou  shalt  be  to  us  instead  of  eyes.     And  it  shall  32 
be,  if  thou  go  with  us,  yea,  it  shall  be,  that  what  good  soever 
Yahweh  shall  do  unto  us,  the  same  will  we  do  unto  thee. 

And  they  set  forward  from  the  '  mount  of  Yahweh  '  three  2,2, 
days'    journey  ;  and   the   ark  of    Yahweh  went  before    them 

*The  text  is  manifestly  corrupt  and  the  sense  incomplete.  Dillmann  sup- 
plies, "  In  that  very  thing  Yahweh  showed  himself  stronger  than  they."  The 
resumption  of  loa  in  rob  might  suggest  that  lob  is  the  missing  line  which 
has  been  accidentally  transposed  from  after  vs.  11.  There  is,  however,  no  ade. 
quate  support  for  conjecture. 


302  THE  JUD.-EAN  PROP  HE  TIC  NARRA  TI VE. 

34  [to  bring  them  unto]  their  abiding-place.*  And  the  cloud 
of  Yahweh  was  over  them  by  day,  when  they  set  forward 
from  the  camp. 

35  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  ark  set  forward,  that 
Moses  said, 

Rise  up,  O  Yahweh,  that  thine  enemies  may  be  scattered; 
And  let  them  that  hate  thee  flee  before  thee. 

36  And  when  it  rested,  he  said. 

Return,  O  Yahweh,  unto  the  ten  thousands  of  the  thou- 
sands of  Israel. 

KiBROTH-HATTAAWAH.         MURMURS     AT    THE    MaNNA   :        YaHWEH 

SENDS  A  Flight  of  Quails. 

11 — 4  And  '  the  mixed  multitude  '  that  was  among  them  fell  a 
lusting  :  and    the    children  of    Israel  also  wept    again,    and 

5  said.  Who  shall  give  us  flesh  to  eat  ?  We  remember  the 
fish,  which  we  did  eat  in  Egypt  for  nought  ;  the  cucumbers, 

6  and  the  melons,  and  the  leeks,  and  the  onions,  and  the  gar- 
lick  :  but  now  our  soul  is  dried   away  ;  there  is   nothing  at 

7  all  :  we  have  nought  save  this  manna  to  look  to. — Now  the 
manna  was  like  coriander  seed,  and  the  appearance  thereof 

8  as  the  appearance  of  'bdellium.'  The  people  went  about, 
and  gathered  it,  and  ground  it  in  mills,  or  beat  it  in  mortars, 
and  seethed  it  in  pots,  and  made  cakes  of  it :  and  the  taste 

9  of  it  was  as  the  taste  of  cakes  baked  with  oil.  And  when  the 
dew  fell  upon  the  camp  in  the  night,  the  manna  fell  with 

10  it. — And  Moses  heard  the  people  weeping  throughout  their 
families,  every  man   at  the  door  of  his  tent  :  [and  he  cried 

13  unto  Yahweh  saying]  Whence  should  I  have  flesh  to  give 
unto  all  this  people  ?  for  they  are  weeping  unto  me,  saying, 

lob  Give  us  flesh  that  we  may  eat.    Then  the  anger  of  Yahweh 

*  Both  subject  matter  and  language  forbid  us  to  suppose  that  we  have  the 
original  form  of  vs.  33b.  But  it  is  not  improbable  that  originally  it  declared 
the  fulfilment  of  Yahweh's  promise  (Ex.  xxxiii.  14)  personally  to  accompany 
the  journey  until  he  should  have  brought  the  people  to  "  their  abiding-place  " 
/.  e.  Canaan.  If  original,  the  "  resting-place  "  can  not  of  course  mean  "  camji- 
ing-place,"  for  Hobab  selects  these;  but  a  permanent  home  as  in  (ien.  xlix. 
15;  Kx.  xxxiii.  14;  l)t.  xxxiii.  25. 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  303 

was   kindled  greatly  :  and  [he  said   unto   Moses]    say    thou  18 
unto  the  people,  Sanctify  yourselves    '  against   to-morrow,' 
and  ye  shall  eat  flesh  :  for  ye  have  wept  in  the  ears  of   Yah- 
weh,  saying.  Who  shall  give  us   flesh  to  eat?  for  it  was  well 
with  us  in  Egypt  :  therefore  Yahweh  will  give  you  flesh,  and 
ye  shall  eat.     Ye  shall  not  eat  one  day,  nor  two  days,  nor  19 
five  days,  neither   ten   days,  nor   twenty  days  ;  but  a  whole  20 
month,  until  the  odor  of  it  revolteth  you,  and  it  be  loathsome 
unto   you  :  because  that  ye  have  '  despised  Yahweh  '  which 
is  '  among  you,'  and  have  wept  before  him,  saying.  Why  came 
we    forth    out    of    Egypt?     And    Moses  said,    The  people,    21 
among   whom    I   am,  are   six    hundred    thousand    footmen  ; 
and  thou  hast  said,  I  will  give  them  flesh,  that  they  may  eat 
a  whole  month.     Shall  'flocks  and  herds  '  be  slain  for  them,  22 
to  suffice  them  ?  or  shall  all  the  fish  of  the   sea  be  gathered 
together  for  them,  to  suffice  them  ? 

And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Is   Yahweh's   hand  waxed  23 
short  ?  now  shalt  thou  see  whether  my  word   shall  come   to 
pass  unto  thee  or  not.     So  Moses  went  out  and  told  the  people  24 
the  words  of  Yahweh.     And  there  went  forth  a  '  wind  '  from  31 
Yahweh,  and  brought  quails  from  the  sea,  and  directed  their 
flight  over  the  camp,  about  a  day's  journey  on  thris  side,  and  a 
day's  journey  on  the  other  side,  round  about  the  camp,  and 
[flying]  about  two  cubits  above  the  face  of  the   earth.     x\nd  32 
the  people  rose  up  all  that  day,  and  all  the  night,  and  all  the 
next  day,  and  gathered  the  quails  :  he  that  gathered  least 
gathered  ten  '  homers  '  :  and  they  spread   them   all   abroad 
for  themselves  round  about  the  camp   [to  dry].     While  they  t,t, 
were  still  eating  the  flesh,  ere  it  was  consumed,  the  anger 
of   Yahweh  was  kindled  against  the    people,  and  'Yahweh 
smote  the  people  '  with  a  very  great  plague.     And  the  name  34 
of    that    place    was    called  Kibroth-hattaavah   ("  Graves    of 
lust  ")  :    because  there  they  buried  the    people  that  lusted. 
From    Kibroth-hattaavah  the   people   journeyed  unto  Haze-  35 
roth  ;   and  they  abode  at  Hazeroth. 

And  afterward  the  people  journeyed  from  Hazeroth  i6a — 12 
[and  pitched  in  Meribath-Kadesh]. 


3U4  THE  Ji'D.EAX  /'ROJ'HEJlL   .VAA'AA'J/l'E. 

Thk  Mutiny  of  Korah. 

16 — I  [Now  Korah  the  son  of  Ken^iz]  and  On  the  son  of 
Peleth,  '  men  of  renown  '  took  [an  offering  for  Yahweh,  and 
assembled  the  people  together  against  Moses  and  the  Levites, 
saying,  Wherefore  exalt  ye  yourselves  above  the  people  to 

3b  offer  sacrifice  for  them  ?  are  not  all  the  people  holy  ?]  and  is 

13  not  '  Yahweh  among  them'?  Is  it  a  small  thing  that  thou 
hast  brought  us  up  out  of  '  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey,'  to  kill   us    in   the  wilderness,  but    thou   must  needs 

14  make  thyself  also  a  prince  over  us  ?  Moreover  thou  hast 
not  brought  us  into  a  '  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey," 
nor  'given  us  inheritance  of  fields  and  vineyards.'  [To  get 
thyself  a  name  hast  thou  brought  forth  all  this  people  to  die 
in    the  wilderness,  neither   hath    Yahweh   sent   thee  at  all]. 

15  And  Moses  was  very  wroth,  and  said  unto  \'ahweh,  '  Respect ' 
not  thou  their  offering  :  I  have  not  taken  one  '  ass  '  from 
them,  neither  have  I  hurt  one  of  them.  [x\nd  Korah  and 
the  men  that  were  with  him  assembled  themselves  to- 
gether over  against  Moses  before  all  the  people  to  sacrifice 

27b^  unto  Yahweh]  and  their  '  wives  and  their  sons  and  their 

28  little  ones.'  And  Moses  said,  '  Hereby  ye  shall  know  that 
Yahweh  hath  sent  me  to  do  all  these  works'  ;  for  [I  have] 

29  not  [done  them]  'of  mine  own  mind.'  If  these  men  die  the 
common  death  of  all  men,  or  if   they  be  '  visited  '  after   the 

30  visitation  of  all  men  ;  then  Yahweh  hath  not  sent  me.  But 
if  Yahweh  'make  a  new  thing,'  and  the  'ground'  open  her 
mouth,  and  swallow  them  up,  with  all  that  appertain  unto 
them,  and  they  'go  down  alive  into  the  pit'  :  then  ye  shall 

31  understand  that  these  men  have  '  despised  ^'ahweh.'  And  it 
came  to  pass,  as  he  made  an  end  of  speaking  all  these  words, 

33  that  the  'ground  '  clave  asunder  that  was  under  them  :  and 
they,  and  all  that  appertained  to  them,  '  went  down  alive 
into  the  pit  ' 

Mkrihath-Kadksh.     Water  From  the  Rock. 
20 — 3       And   the  people  "  strove  "  with  Moses,  and  [cried  out 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  305 

again]  wherefore  hast  thou  made  us  to  come  up  out  of  Egypt,  5 
to  bring  us  in  unto  this  evil  place  ?  it  is  no  place  of  seed,  or 
of  figs,  or  of  vines,  or  of  pomegranates  ;  neither  is  there  any 
water  to  drink.  [And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  I  have 
heard  the  words  of  this  people,  which  strive  with  (Dt.  33.  8) 
thee.  Behold  I  will  "  strive  "  for  thee,  and  will  shew  myself 
"  holy  "  against  them.  Speak  now  unto  the  rock  that  is 
before  their  eyes  that  it  give  forth  its  water.  And  Moses 
did  so,  and  there  came  forth  water  abundantly.  And  the 
people  drank  and  their  cattle.  Therefore  was  the  name  of 
the  place  called  Meribath-Kadesh,  because  Yahweh  "  strove  " 
(rib)  for  him  there  and  shewed  himself  "  holy  "  {Kadesh)  in 
the  eyes  of  the  people.] 

Caleb  sent  to  Hebron  to  Reconnoitre.    The  People  Rebel 
AT  HIS  Report. 

[And  from  Kadesh  Moses  sent  out  Caleb  the   (Jos.  14.    6ff.) 
son   of   Jephunneh  the   Kenizzite   and   others   with   him  to 
search   out  the  land].     And   he  said  unto  them,   Get  you  17b 
up   this   way   into    the   Negeb   (wilderness  south  ai  Judah) 
[and  see  what  people  dwell  there]  whether  they  be  strong  19 
or  weak  ;  and  what  the  land  is  that  they  dwell  in,  whether 
it  be  good  or  bad  ;  and  what  cities  they  be  that  they  dwell 
in,  whether  in  camps,  or  in    'strong  holds.'     So  they  went  22 
up  into  the  Negeb,  and  came  unto  '  Hebron  '  ;  and  '  Ahiman, 
Sheshai,  and  Talmai,'  the  children  of  Anak,  were  there,    (Now 
'  Hebron  '    was    built    seven    years  before    Zoan  in  Egypt.) 
[And  when  they  had  seen  the  land  and  the  strength  of  the 
cities  they  returned  unto  Moses].     And  they  told  him,  and  27 
said,   We  came   unto  the  land  whither  thou  sentest  us,  and 
surely  '  it  floweth  with  milk  and  honey.'     Howbeit  the  peo-  28 
pie  that   dwell   in   the  land   are   strong,   and  the  cities  are 
fenced,  [and]  very  great:  and  moreover  we  saw  the  children 
of  Anak  there. 

And  all  the  children  of  Israel  lifted  up  their  voice  14 — i 
and  cried  [saying]  :  '  Our  wives  and  our  little  ones'  shall  3b 
be  a   prey:   were  it  not  better  for  us  to   return  into  Egypt  ? 


306  THE  J  UDA£AN  PROP  HE  TIC  NARK  A  TI VE. 

8  [But  Moses  said]  :     If  Yahweh  delight  in  us,  (Dt.  1.  apf.) 

then  he  will  bring  us  into  this  land,  and  give  it  unto  us  ;  a 

9 'land  which  floweth  with  milk  and   honey.'     Only  rebel  not 

against  Yahweh,  neither  fear  ye  the  people  of  the  land  ;  for 

they  are  bread  for  us  :  their  defence   is  removed    from  over 

13 — 30  them,  whereas  Yahweh  is  with  us  :  fear  them  not.  And 
Caleb  stilled  the  [murmurs  of]  the  people  before  Moses, 
and   said.  Let  us   go   up    at  once,   and   possess  it ;  for  we 

31  are  well  able  to  overcome  it.  But  the  men  that  went  up 
with  him  said.  We  be  not  able  to  go  up  against  the  people  ; 
for  they  are  stronger  than  we. 

Yahweh's  Rejection   of  the  People.    Moses  Intercedes  for 
Them. 

14 — II  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  How  long  will  this 
people  *  despise  me  '  ?  and  how  long  will  they  not  believe  in 

12  me,  for  all  the  signs  which  I  have  wrought  among  them  ?  1 
will  '  smite  them  with  the  pestilence,'  and  disinherit  them, 
and  '  will  make  of  thee  a  nation  greater  and  mightier  than 

13  they.'  And  Moses  said  unto  Yahweh,  '  Then  the  Egyptians 
shall  hear  it  ;  for  thou  broughtest  up  this  people  in  thy  might 

14  from  among  them;  and  they  will  tell  it  to  the  inhabitants 
of  this  land  '  :  they  have  heard  that  thou  Yahweh  art  '  in  the 
midst  of  this  people  '  ;  for  thou  Yahweh  art  seen  '  face  to 
face,'  and  thy  cloud  standeth  over  them,  and  thou  '  goest 
before  them,  in  a  pillar  of  cloud   by  day,  and  in  a  pillar  of 

15  fire  by  night.'  Now  if  thou  shalt  kill  this  people  as  one 
man,  then  the  nations  which  have   heard  the  fame  of  thee 

16  will  speak,  saying,  Because  Yahweh  was  not  able  to  bring 
this  people  into  '  the  land  which  he  sware  unto  them,'  there- 

17  fore    he    hath  slain    them    in   the   wilderness.     And  now,  1 

19  pray  thee,  let  thy  power  be  magnified,*  'O  Lord.'  Pardon, 
I  pray  thee,  the  iniquity  of  this  people  according  unto 
the  greatness  of  thy  mercy,  and  according  as  thou  hast  for- 

20  given  this  people,  from  Egypt  even  until  now.     And  Yahweh 

21  said,  I  have  pardoned  as  thou  sayest  :  but  in  very  deed,  as  I 
*SoLXX. 


CIKC.  800  B.  C.  307 

live,  and  as  all  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  glory  of  Yah-  22 
weh  ;  because  all  those  men  which  have  seen  my  glory,  and 
my  signs,  which  I  wrought  in  Egypt  and  in  the  wilderness,  yet 
have  tempted  me  these  ten  times,  and  have  not  hearkened  to 
my  voice  ;  surely  they  shall  not  see  '  the  land  which  I  sware  23 
unto  their  fathers,'  neither  shall  any  of  them  that  '  despised 
me  '  see  it :  but  my  servant  Caleb,  because  he  had  another  24 
spirit  with  him,  and  hath  followed  me  fully,  him  will  I  bring 
into  the  land  whereinto  he  went  ;  and  his  seed  shall  possess 
it.     [Go,   say  unto  the  people,  Turn  you,  and  get   you  into 
the  wilderness   of    Seir,  by  the  way   of  Atharim  ;  for  I   will 
not  bring  you  into  the  land].     But  your  little  ones,  which  ye  31 
said  should   '  be  a   prey,'  them  will  I  bring  in,  and  they  shall 
know  the  land  which  ye   have   'rejected.'     But   as  for  you,  32 
your  carcases    shall  fall  in  this  wilderness.     And  your  chil-  ^t, 
dren  shall  be  '  nomads '   in  the  wilderness  forty  years,  and 
shall   bear  your  'whoredoms,'  until  your  carcases  be  con- 
sumed in  the  wilderness. 

The    Disaster    at  Hormah,     Israel   Inflicts    a    Blow  upon 

THE  CANAANITES  OF  THE  NeGEB. 

And  the    '  Canaanite,'  the  king   of  Arad,  which   dwelt   in  21 
'  the  South,' heard    tell  that    Israel  was  coming   by  the   way 
of  Atharim  ;  and  he  fought  against  Israel,  and  took  some  of 
them  captive.     And    Israel  vowed  a  vow  unto  Yahweh,  and    2 
said.  If  thou  wilt  indeed    deliver  this  people  into  my  hand, 
then  I  will  "  devote  "  their  cities.     And   Yahweh  hearkened    3 
to    the  voice  of    Israel,  and  delivered  up    the  '  Canaanites  '  ; 
so  they  "  devoted  "  them  and  their    cities  :  and   the  name  of 
the  place  was  called  Hormah.     (/.  e.  "  Fortress,"  but  here  in- 
correctly derived  from  the   stem  meaning   to  "  devote,"  /.  e. 
place  under  the  ban,  vow  to  destruction.) 

The  Wilderness  Stations.    The  Story  of  Beer-  [Elim],  the 
Well  of  the  Princes. 

[And  when  they  had  dwelt    in    mount  Seir  many  (Dt.  2.  iff.) 

days  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Turn  you  northward  and  pass 


308  THE  JUD^AN  PROPHETIC  NARRA  TI VE. 

over  the  brook  Zered  into  the  border  of  Moab,  and  I  will  give 
you  the  cities  of  the  Amorites  which  dwell  beyond  Jordan, 
but  of  the  land  of  Seir  and  of  the  land  of  Moab  I  will  not 
give  you,  for  I  have  given  it  unto  the  children  of  Edom  and 
the  children  of  Lot.  So  Israel  passed  through  the  border  of 
Edom  and  Moab  and  they  journeyed  from  ....  to  ...  . 

16  and  from  thence  to  ....  ]  'And  from  thence'  to  Beer  : 
that  is  the  "  well  "  {beer)  whereof  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses, 
Gather  the  people  together,  and  I  will  give  them  water. 

17  '  Then  sang  Israel  this  song  :  ' 

Spring  up,  O  "  well  "  ;   spring  up  and  flow  ; 

18  The  "  well,"  which  the  princes  digged, 
Which  the  nobles  of  the  people  delved, 
With  the  '  sceptre,'  [and  j  with  their  staves. 

19  '  And  from  Beer  to  '  Mattanah  :  'and  from  Mattanah  to  ' 

20  Nahaliel  :  '  and  from  Nahaliel  to '  Bamoth  :  '  and  from 
Bamoth  to  '  the  valley  that  is  in  the  field  of  Moab,  by  '  the 
peak  of  Pisgah,  which  looketh  down  upon  Jeshimon  '  (/.  e.  the 
eastward  slope  of  the  mountains  of  Judah  by  the  Dead  Sea). 

Conquest  of  Trans-Jordanic  Territory. 

(32 — 3)  [And  Moses  sent  to  search  out  the  cities  of  the  Amor- 
ites, Ataroth,  Dibon,  Jazer,  Nimrah,  Heshbon,  Elealeh,Sebam, 

21 — 24b  Nebo  and  Beon]  even  unto  the  children  of  Ammon:  for 

25  Jazer  was  the  border  of  the  children  of  Ammon.  And  Israel 
took  all  these  cities  :  and  Israel  dwelt  in  all  the  cities  of  the 

32  Amorites,  in  Heshbon,  and  in  all  the  towns  thereof.  And 
Moses  sent  to  '  search  out  '  Jazer,  and  they  took  [it  together 
with]  the  towns  thereof,  and  '  drove  out '  the  Amorites  that 
were  there. 

The  Oracle  of  Balaam.     IUlak,    King    of    Moab.  Seeks    to 

Procure  a  Curse  upon  Israel.    Thi:  Prophet 

Staved  bv   the  Speakinc.  Ass. 

22 — 3  Now   Moab  '  held   the    children   of   Israel    in    tlread.' 

4    And  Moab  said    unto  the   elders  of   Midian,  Now   shall   this 

multitude  lick  up  all  that   is  round  about  us,   as  the  o.\  lick- 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  309 

eth  up  the  grass  of  the  field.     And  Balak  the  son  of  Zippor 
was  king  of  Moab  at  that  time.      [And  he  took  counsel  with 
them  to  send  unto  Balaam  the   son    of  Beor  the  diviner]  to 
the  land  of  the  children  of  Ammon  [saying,  Come  curse  me 
Israel].     And  the  elders  of  Moab  and  the  elders  of  Midian  de-    7 
parted  with  the  rewards  of  '  divination  '  in  their  hand.     [And 
they  came  unto  Balaam  and  said,  Thus  saith  Balak  the  son 
of  Zippor,  Delay  not,  I  pray  thee,  to    come  unto    me],  for    I  17 
will  promote  thee  unto  very   great    honor,  and  whatsoever 
thou  sayest  unto  me  I  will  do  :  come  therefore,  I  pray  thee, 
curse  me  this  people.     And  Balaam   answered  and  said  unto*  18 
the  servants  of  Balak,  If  Balak  would  give  me  his  house  full  of 
silver  and  gold,  I  cannot  go  beyond  the  word  of  Yahweh  my 
God,  to  do  less  or  more.     So  he  saddled  his  ass  [and    went  21b 
with  them].     And  Yahweh's  anger  was  kindled  because  he  22 
went  :  and  the  'angel  of  Yahweh  '  placed  himself  in  the  way 
to  oppose    him.     Now  he  was   riding  upon  his  ass.,  and  his 
two  servants  were  with  him.     And  the    ass    saw  the   '  angel  23 
of  Yahweh'  standing  in  the  way,  'with  his  sword  drawn  in 
his   hand  : '  and   the  ass    turned  aside  out   of  the  way,  and 
went  into  the  iield  :  and  Balaam  smote  the  ass,  to  turn  her 
into  the  way.    Then  the  '  angel  of  Yahweh  '  stood  in  a  hollow  24 
way  between  the  vineyards,  a  fence  being  on  this  side,  and  a 
fence  on  that  side.     And  the  ass  saw  'the  angel  of  Yahweh,'  25 
and  she  thrust  herself  unto  the  wall,  and   crushed   Balaam's 
foot  against  the  wall  :  and   he   smote   her  again.      And  '  the  26 
angel  of  Yahweh  '  went  further,  and  stood  in  a  narrow  place, 
where  was  no  way  to  turn  either  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the 
left      And  the  ass  saw  '  the   angel    of  Yahweh,'  and   she   lay  27 
down  under  Balaam  :   and  Balaam's  anger  was    kindled,  and 
he  smote  the  ass  with    his   staff.     And  'Yahweh   opened   the  28 
mouth  '  of  the  ass,  and   she  said   unto    Balaam,  What  have   I 
done  unto  thee,  that  thou  hast  smitten  me  these  three  times  ? 
And  Balaam  said  unto  the   ass,   Because  thou  hast  mocked  29 
me  :   I  would  there  were  a  sword   in    mine   hand,   for   now   I 
had  killed  thee.     And  the  ass  said   unto  Balaam,  Am   not  I  30 
thine  ass,  upon  which  thou  hast  ridden  all  thy  life  long  unto 


310  THE  J  UD.-EAN  PROP  HE  TIC  NARRA  TI VE. 

this  day  ?  was  I  ever  wont  to  do   so   unto  thee  ?     And  he 

31  said,  Nay.  Then  '  Yahweh  opened  the  eyes  '  of  Balaam,  and 
he  saw  'the  angel  of  Yahweh  standing  in  the  way,  with  his 
sword  drawn  in  his  hand  : '  and  he  '  bowed  his  head,  and  fell 

32  on  his  face.'  And  '  the  angel  of  Yahweh  '  said  unto  him, 
Wherefore  hast  thou  smitten  thine  ass  these  three  times  ? 
behold,  I  am  come  forth  to  oppose  thee,  because  the  way  is 

33  ....  *  and  the  ass  saw  me,  and  turned  aside  before  me 
these  three  times  :  unless    she  had   turned   aside    from  me, 

34  surely  now  I  had  even  slain  thee,  and  saved  her  alive.  And 
Balaam  said  unto  *  the  angel  of  Yahweh,'  I  have  sinned  ;  for 
I  knew  not  that  thou  wert  standing  in  the  way  against  me. 
Now,  therefore,  if  it  displease  thee,  I  will  get  me  back  again. 

35  And  '  the  angel  of  Yahweh  '  said  unto  Balaam,  Go  thy  way  : 
but  only  the  word  that  I  shall  speak  unto  thee,  that  thou 
shalt  speak.  [So  Balaam  went  his  way  and  came  unto  Balak 
in  Ar  of  Moab.     And  Balak  made  him  a  feast ;  and  on  the 

39  morrow  he  brought  him  to  the  border  of  Israel].  So  Ba- 
laam went  with  Balak  and  they  came  unto  Kirjath-huz- 
zoth  (?) 

The  Oracle  of  Balaam. 

23 — 28      And  Balak  took  Balaam  unto  '  the  top  of  Pisgah  that 

24  looketh  down  upon  Jeshimon.'     And  when  Balaam  saw  that 

it  pleased  Yahweh  to  bless  Israel,  he  went  not  to  meet  [him] 

with  enchantments,  but  he  set  his  face  toward  the  wilder- 

2  ness.     And   Balaam   lifted   up  his  eyes,  and   he    saw  Israel 

3  dwelling  according  to  their  tribes  ;  and  the  spirit  of  God 
came  upon  him.     And  he  took  up  his  oracle,  and  said, 

Balaam  the  son  of  Beor  saith, 

And  the  man  whose  eye  .  ,  .  .  f  saith  : 

4  He  saith,  which  heareth  the  words  of  El, 
And  knoweth  the  knowledge  of  Elyon 

*  Corrupt  text.     Usually  translated  "  thy  way  is  perverse  before  me." 
t  Translation  doubtful.     Either  "  is  closed  "  (/.  <•■  to  the  outward    world)   or 
"Js  opened"  (/.  <?.  clairvoyantly). 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  311 

Which  seeth  visions  of  Shaddai 

Falling  down,  and  having  his  eyes  open  : 

How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  O  Jacob,  5 

Thy  dwellings,  O  Israel  I 

In  the  valleys  are  they  spread  forth,  6 

In  gardens  by  the  river  side. 

As  lign-aloes  which  Yahweh  hath  planted, 

As  cedar  trees  beside  the  waters. 

Water  floweth  from  his  buckets,  7 

And  his  seed  hath  abundance  of  water, 

And  his  king  shall  be  higher  than  Agag, 

And  his  kingdom  shall  be  exalted. 

God,  that  bringeth  them  forth  out  of  Egypt  23 — 22 

Is  to  them  as  it  were  the  horns  (?)  of  the  wild-ox. 

Surely  there  is  no  enchantment  with  Jacob,  23 

Neither  is  there  any  '  divination  '  with  Israel  : 

Even  now  may  one  tell  [the  fate]  of  Jacob 

And  of  Israel  what  God  hath  wrought. 

He  shall  eat  up  the  nations  his  adversaries,  24 — 8b 

And  shall  crunch  their  bones. 

And  his  oppressors  will  he  crush. 

He  coucheth,  he  lieth  down  as  a  lion,  9 

And  as  a  lioness  ;  who  shall  rouse  him  up  ? 

'  Blessed  be  every  one  that  blesseth  thee. 

And  cursed  be  every  one  that  curseth  thee.' 

And  Balak's  anger  was   kindled  against  Balaam,  and  he  10 
smote  his  hands  together  :  and   Balak   said   unto  Balaam,  I 
called  thee  to  curse  mine   enemies,   and,  behold,   thou  hast 
altogether  blessed  them.     Therefore   now  flee  thou  to  thy  1 1 
place  :   I  thought  to  '  promote  thee  unto  great  honor  '  ;  but, 
lo,  Yahweh  hath  kept  thee  back  from  honor.     And  Balaam  12 
said  unto  Balak,  Spake  I  not  also  to  thy  messengers  which 
thou  sentest  unto  me,  saying,  '  If  Balak  would  give  me  his  13 
house  full  of  silver  and  gold,  I  cannot  go  beyond  the  word 
of  Yahweh,  to  do  either  good  or  bad  'of  mine  own  mind  '  ; 
what  Yahweh  speaketh,  that  will   I  speak  ?  '     And   now,  be-  14 
hold,  I  go  unto  my  people  :  come,  [and]  I  will  foretell   thee 


312  THE  J  Un.-EAN  PROP  HE  TIC  A  A  PR  A  TI  VE. 

what  this  people    shall   do    to   thy  people  in  the  latter  days. 

15  And  he  took  up  his  oracle,  and  said, 

Balaam  the  son  of  Beor  saith. 

And  the  man  whose  eye  is  .  .  .    saith  : 

16  He  saith,  which  heareth  the  words  of  El, 
And  knoweth  the  knowledge  of  Elyon 
Which  seeth  the  vision  of  Shaddai, 
Falling  down,  and  having  his  eyes  open  : 

17  I  see  him,  but  not  now  : 

I  behold  him,  but  not  nigh  : 

There  cometh  forth  a  star  out  of  Jacob, 

And  a  '  sceptre  '  riseth  out  of  Israel, 

And  smiteth  through  the  temples  of  Moab, 

Even  the  skull  of  all  the  sons  of  "  tumult  ''     [Scth). 

18  And  Edom  shall  be  a  possession, 

Seir  also  shall  be  a  possession,  [which  are]  his  enemies  ; 
While  Israel  doeth  valiantly. 

19  And  out  of  Jacob  shall  one  have  dominion. 
And  shall  destroy  the  fugitives  from  the  city. 

25       Then  Balaam  rose  up,  and  went  and  returned  to  his  place  : 
and  Balak  also  went  his  way. 

ISRAF.r.  Corrupted  by  the  Women  of  Moab. 

Now  the  people  began   to  commit  '  whoredom  '  with   the  '^5 
daughters  of  Moab  :  for  they  called   the    people   unto    the    2 
sacrifices  of  their  gods  ;  and  the   people  did  eat,  and   bowed 
down  to  their  gods.     And  Yahweh   said    unto    Moses,  Take     4 
all  the  chiefs  of  the  people,  and  hang  them  up  unto  Yahweh 
before  the  sun,  that   the  '  fierce  anger   of    \'ahweh   may  turr. 
away  '  from  Israel. 

The  iNHKRiiAXCK  ()[•'  c;ai)  and  Reuben.     Moses   Pi.euc.es  the 
TWO  Tribes  to  Help  in  the  Concjuest  ok  Canaan. 

[Now  the  children  of  (iad  and  the  children  of  Reuben  saw 

32 — 3     the    land    which    ^■ahweh    had     smitten   before    Israel]. 

.Ataroth,  and    Dibon,  and    la/.er,  and   Nimrah.  and  Hcshbon, 


CIRC.  800  /)'.  C.  313 

and  Elealeh,  and  Sebam,  and    Nebo,  and    Beon.     [And   they 
desired  the  land  because  it  was  a  good  land  for  cattle.     So 
they  came  near  unto  Moses]  and   said,  '  If  we  have   found    5 
favor  in  thy  sight,'  let  this  land  be  given  unto  thy  servants 
for  a  possession  ;  bring  us  not   over  Jordan.     And    Moses    6 
said  unto  the  children  of  Gad  and  to  the  children  of  Reuben, 
Shall  your  brethren  go   to  the  war,  and    shall  ye  sit   here  ? 
And  Moses  said  unto  them,  If   ye  will  do   this   thing  ;   if   ye  20 
will  arm  yourselves  to  go  before  Yahweh   to   the  war,  and  21 
every  armed  man  of  you  will  pass  over  Jordan  before  Yah- 
weh, until  he  hath  '  driven  out  '  his  enemies  from  before  him,  22 
and  the  land   be  subdued   before  Yahweh  :  then  afterward 
ye    shall    return,  and     be    guiltless    towards    Yahweh,   and 
towards  Israel  ;  and  this  land  shall   be  unto  you  for  a   pos- 
session before  Yahweh.     But  if  ye  will  not  do  so,  behold,  ye  23 
have  sinned  against  Yahweh  :  and  be  sure  your  sin  will  find 
you    out.     And    the    children    of    Gad   and  the  children  of  25 
Reuben  spake  unto  Moses,  saying.  Thy  servants  will  do  as 
my    lord    commandeth.     '  Our    little    ones,    our    wives,    our  26 
flocks,  and   all  our  cattle,'  shall   be   there  in  '  the  cities  '  of 
Gilead  :  but  thy  servants  will  pass  over,  every  man  that   is  27 
armed  for  war,  before  Yahweh  to  battle,    as  mv  lord  saith. 


DEUTERONOMY.      (Heb.  "Words  of  Moses.") 

[Last  Words  of  Moses.    Joshua  his  Successor.' 

[And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  The  time  is  come  that 
thou  must  die,  for  thou  mayest  not  pass  over  this  Jordan, 
[because  thou  believedst  not  when  I  called  thee  to  lead  my 
people  forth  out  of  Egyi)t  (?)].  Call  now  Joshua  the  son  of 
Nun,  the  Ephraimite,  and  make  him  leader  over  this  people  ; 
for  he  shall  bring  them  into  the  land  which  I  sware  unto 
their  fathers,  saying,  I  will  give  it  you.  And  when  thou  hast 
given  him  this  charge,  then  go  up  into  mount  Pisgah,  which 
is  before  thee,  and  when  thou  hast  seen  the   land  thou   shalt 


3U  THE  JUD.EAN  PROPHETIC  NARRA  TIVE. 

die  there  in  the  mount.  So  Moses  called  Joshua  and  gave 
him  commandment  as  Yahweh  had  said.  And  he  blessed 
him  and  all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  each  one  according  to  his 
blessing]. 

The  Blessing  of  Moses. 

33       Now  this  is  the  blessing,  wherewith  Moses  the  man  of  God 

2  blessed  the  children  of  Israel  before  his  death.     And  he  said, 

Yahweh  came  from  '  Sinai,' 
And  rose  from  Seir  unto  them  ; 
He  shined  forth  from  mount  Paran, 
And  he  came  from  '  Meribath-Kadesh.* 
In  his  right  hand 

3  With  love  he  cherished  his  people. 
All  his  holy  ones  were  in  thy  hand 
And  they 

4b      An  inheritance  for  the  assembly  of  Jacob. 
5         A  king  arose  for  Jeshurun, 

When  the  heads  of  the  people  were  gathered, 

All  the  tribes  of  Israel  together. 

Let  Reuben  live  and  not  die  ; 
And  let  not  his  men  be  few. 

7I)  And  of  Simeon  he  said, 

"  Mear"  {shciii'-a'),  Yahweh,  the  voice  of  Simeon 
And  bring  him  in  to  his  own  people. 

S  And  of  Levi  he  said. 

Thy  'riunnniim  and  thy  Urini  are  with  the  men  of  thy  con- 
secrated one. 
Whom  thou  didst  "  prove  "  at  Massah, 
Vox  whom  thou  didst  "  strive  "  at  the  waters  of  Meribah  ; 
9         [With  him]  who  said   of  father,  and  of   mother,  I  have  not 
seen  them  ; 
Who  neither  acknowledged  his  brethren. 
Nor  knew  his  own  children  : 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  315 

For  they  gave  themselves  to  thy  word, 

And  kept  thy  covenant  [law]. 

They  shall  teach  Jacob  thy  judgments,  10 

And  Israel  thy  law  : 

They  shall  put  incense  in  thy  nostrils, 

And  whole  burnt  offering  upon  thine  altar. 

And  of  Judah  he  said,  7a 

Bless,  Yahweh,  his  substance,  11 

And  accept  the  work  of  his  hands  : 
"  With  thy  hands  "  contend  for  him  ; 
And  be  thou  an  help  against  his  adversaries. 
Smite  through  the  loins  of  them  that  rise  up  against  him, 
And  of  them  that  hate  him,  that  they  rise  not  again. 

Of  Benjamin  he  said,  12 

Yahweh's  favorite  is  he  ; 
He  dwelleth  in  safety  by  him 
He  covereth  him  all  the  day  long, 

And  hath  taken  up  his  abode  between  his  [mountain]  shoul- 
ders. 

And  of  Joseph  he  said,  13 

'Blessed  of  Yahweh  '  be  his  land  ; 
'With  the  precious  things  of  heaven,  with  the  dew. 
And  with  the  '  deep  '  that  coucheth  beneath. 
And  with  the  precious  things  which  the  sun  doth  ripen         14 
And  with  the  precious  things  that  the  moon  bringeth  forth, 
And  with  the  chief  things  of  the  ancient  mountains,  15 

And  with  the  precious  things  of  the  everlasting  hills. 
And  with  the  precious  things  of  the  earth   and  its  fulness,'  16 
And  the  good  will  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the  bush  : 
Let  [it]  come  upon  the  head  of  Joseph, 
*  And  upon    the  crown  of  the  head    of   the   crowned    one 
among  his  brethren.' 

Majesty  surrounds  his  firstling  bullock  ;  17 

And  his  horns  are  like  the  horns  of  the  wild-ox  : 


31G  THE  J  UD.-EAN  PROP  HE  TIC  NARRA  TI VE. 

With  them  he  shall  gore  the  nations  all  of  them,  [even]  the 

ends  of  the  earth  : 
These  are  the  ten  thousands  of  Ephraim, 
And  these  are  the  thousands  of  Manasseh. 

i8  And  of  Zebulun  he  said, 

Rejoice  thou,  Zebulun,  in  thy  voyages  ; 
And  thou,  Issachar,  in  thy  tents. 

19  They  invite  the  peoples  unto  the  mountain  ; 
They  offer  there  sacrifices  of  righteousness  : 
For  they  suck  the  abundance  of  the  seas, 
And  the  hidden  treasures  of  the  sand. 

20  And  of  Gad  he  said, 

'  Blessed  be  He  that  enlargeth  '  Gad  : 

He  '  hath  couched  as  a  lioness,' 

And  teareth  the  arm,  yea,  the  crown  of  the  head, 

21  He  sought  out  for  himself  the  lot  of  a  firstborn  son, 
For  there  a  ruler's  portion  lay  ready  ; 

Yet  he  came  [with]  the  heads  of  the  people, 
He  executed  the  justice  of  Yahweh, 
And  his  judgments  with  Israel. 

22  And  of  Dan  he  said, 
Dan  is  a  lion's  whelp, 

That  leapetli  forth  from  Bashan. 

23  And  of  Naphtali  he  said, 

O  Naphtali,  satisfied  with  [gifts  of  divine]  'favor,' 
And  full  with  the  '  blessing  of  Yahweh  '  : 
Possess  thou  the  sea  [of  (xalilee]  and  southward. 

24  .\nd  of  .\s1rm-  he  said. 

Blessed  be  .\sher  above  [the  other]  sons  ; 
Let  him  be  the  favorite  of  his  brethren. 
And  let  him  dip  his  foot  in  oil. 

25  Thy  bars  shall  be  iron  and  brass  ; 
And  thy  strength  endure  alt  thy  days. 


CIRC.  800  B.  C.  317 

There  is  none  like  the  God  of  Jeshurun,  26 

Who  rideth  on  the  heaven  for  thy  help, 
And  in  his  majesty  on  the  skies. 

The  eternal  God  is  a  refuge,  27 

And  everlasting  arms  are  [stretched  out]  beneath, 
He  thrust  out  the  enemy  from  before  thee, 
And  commanded  [thee].  Destroy. 

So  Israel  dwelt  in  safety,  28 

The  fountain  of  Jacob  by  itself, 
In  a  '  land  of  corn  and  wine  ' ; 
Yea,  his  heavens  drop  down  dew. 

Hail  to  thee,  Israel  !     Who  is  like  thee,  29 

A  people  victorious  by  Yahweh  ? 
He  is  the  '  shield  '  of  thy  help, 
And  the  sword  that  maketh  thee  glorious. 
Thy  foes  shall  feign  thee  friendship  ; 
And  thou  shalt  tread  [victorious]  on  their  high  places. 

Moses'  Death  and  Burial. 

[So  Moses  went  up]  to  '  the  top  of  Pisgah  '  that  is  34 — ib. 
over  against  Jericho  [the  City  of  Palm-trees].  And  Yahweh 
shewed  him  all  the  land.     And  Yahweh  said  unto  him,  This    4 
is  the  '  land  which  I   sware  '  unto  Abraham,  unto  Isaac,  and 
unto    Jacob,    saying,    I  will  give    it  unto  thy  seed  :    I    have 
caused  thee  to  see  it  with  thine  own  eyes,  but  thou  shalt  not 
go  over  thither.     [So  Moses  died  there]  and  he  was  buried    6 
in  the  valley  in  the  land  of  Moab  over  against  Beth-peor. 


THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E, 
CIRC.  750  B.  C. 

(THE)  EXODUS. 

Story  of  the  Oppression   in   Egypt.    Pharaoh's  Cruel  Com- 
mands Frustrated. 

Now  there  arose  a  new  king  over  Egypt,  which  had  not  1 — 8 
known  Joseph.     And  he  said  unto  his  people,  Behold,  the  peo-    9 
pie  of  the  children  of  Israel  is  becoming  '  too  many  and  too 
mighty'  for  us  :  come,  let  us  deal  wisely  with  them  ;  lest  they  10 
multiply,  and  it  come  to   pass,  that,  when  we  are  entangled 
in  some*  war,  they  also  join   themselves  unto  our  enemies, 
and  fight  against  us,  and  get  them  up  out  of  the  land. 

So  the  king  of  Egypt  spake  to  the  Hebrew  midwives,  of  15 
which  the  name  of  the  one  was  Shiphrah,  and  the  name  of 
the  other  Puah  :  and  he   said.  When  ye   do  the  ofifice   of  a  16 
midwife  to  the   Hebrew   women,  look   [while   they  are  still] 
upon  the  birthstool  (?)  ;  if  it  be  a  son,  then  ye  shall  kill  him  ; 
but  if  it  be  a  daughter,  then  she  may  live.     But  the  midwives  17 
'feared  God,'  and  did  not  as  the  king  of  Egypt  commanded 
them,  but  saved  the   men   children  alive.     And  the  king  of  18 
Egypt  sent   for   the  midwives,  and    said    unto    them,  Why 
have  ye  done  this  thing,  and  have  saved  the  men  children 
alive?     And  the  midwives  said  unto  Pharaoh,  Because  the  19 
Hebrew  women  are  not  as  the  Egyptian  women  ;  for  they 
are  vigorous,  and  are  delivered  ere  the  midwife  come  unto 
them.     And  *  God  '  dealt  well  with  the  midwives.     And  it  20-2 1 
came  to  pass,  because  the  midwives  '  feared  '  '  God,'  that  he 
established  clans  for  them.     Then  Pharaoh  charged  all  his  22 
people,   saying.  Every  son  that  is  born   to  the  Hebrews  f  ye 
shall   cast  into  the  Nile,  and  every  daughter  ye  shall  save 
alive. 

*  Text  of  Sam.  and  all  versions. 

1  Sam.,  LXX.,  Jer.  Targum. 
319 


32U     THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

Parentage  and  Birth  of  Miriam,  Aaron  and  Moses. 

2 — I  And  there  went  a  man  of  the  stock  of  Levi  [named 
(Amram  ?)]  and  took  to  wife  [(Jochehed  ?)]  the  daughter  of 
Levi.  [And  she  bare  unto  him  a  daughter  and  called  her 
name  Miriam.  And  again  she  bare  a  son  and  called  his 
name  Aaron.  And  God  came  unto  Amram  (?)  in  a  dream 
and  said,  I  have  chosen  thy  house  that  from  thee  there 
should  come  deliverance  for  my  people.  For  thy  daughter 
shall  be  a  prophetess  unto  me,  and  the  son  that  is  born  to 
thee  shall  be  my  priest,  to  go  up  unto  mine  altar,  to  burn 
incense,  to  wear  an  ephod  before  me,  and  unto  his  house 
and  the  house  of  thy  father  will  I  give  all  the  offerings  of  the 
children  of  Israel  made  by  fire  (i.  Sam.  iii.  27ff).  And  I  will 
give  thee  a  second  son  who  shall  be  the  deliverer  of  my 
people. 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  these  things,  when  Pharaoh  had 
commanded  his  people,  saying.  Ye  shall  cast  the  men-chil- 
dren  of   the  Hebrews  into  the  Nile,  that  Amram  visited  his 

2  wife].  And  the  woman  conceived,  and  bare  a  son  :  and 
when  she  saw  him  that  he  was  a  '  child  '  of  goodly  form,  she 

3  hid  him  three  months.  And  when  she  could  not  longer  hide 
him,  she  took  for  him  an  ark  of  papyrus,  and  daubed  it  with 
bitumen,  and  with  pitch  ;  and  she  put  the  '  child  '  therein,  and 

4  laid  it  in  the  flags  by  the  '  brink  '  of  the  Nile.  And  his 
sister  stood  afar  off,   to  know   what  would  be  done  to  him. 

5  And  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  came  down  to  the  Nile  to 
bathe  ;  and  her  maidens  walked  along  by  the  '  side  '  of  the 
Nile  ;  and   she   saw   the  ark  among  the    flags,  and   sent  her 

6  'maidservant'  to  fetch  it.  And  she  opened  it,  and,  behold, 
a  babe  weeping.     And   she   had  compassion  on  him,  saying 

7  to  herself,  This  is  one  of  the  Hebrews'  '  children.'  ^J'heii 
said  his  sister  to  Pharaoh's  daughter,  Shall  1  go  and  call 
thee   a  nurse  of   the   Hebrew   women,  that   she  may  nurse 

8  the  child  for  thee?     And    Pharoah's   daughter  said  to  her, 

9  Go.  So  the  girl  went  and  called  the  child's  mother.  And 
Pharaoh's  daughter  said   unto  her,  Take  this  'child'  away, 


CJRC.  750  />'.  C".  321 

and  nurse  it  for  me,  and  I  will  give  thee  thy  wages.  And 
the  woman  took  the  'child,'  and  nursed  it.  And  the  'child  '  10 
grew  up  and  she  brought  him  unto  Pharaoh's  daughter,  and 
he  became  her  son.  And  she  called  his  name  Moses,  (as  if 
from  Hebrew  /nashah,  to  "  draw  out ")  and  said.  Because  I 
"  drew  him  out  "  of  the  water. 

Moses'    Fruitless    Attempt    to    Deliver    his    People.      His 
Flight  to  Midian  and  Marriage  there. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  when  Moses  was  grown  11 
up,  that  he  went  out  unto  his  brethren,  and  looked  on  their 
burdens  :  and  he  saw  an   Egyptian  smiting  an  Hebrew,  one 
of  his  brethren.     And  he  looked  this  way  and  that  way,  and  12 
when  he  saw  that  there  was  no  man  [in  sight],  he  smote  the 
Egyptian,  and  hid  him  in  the  sand.      And  he  went  out  the  13 
second  day,  and,   behold,  two   men   of    the    Hebrews   were 
striving  together  :  and  he  said  to  him  that  did  the  wrong, 
Wherefore   smitest    thou    thy    fellow?     And    he    said,   Who  14 
made  thee  a  prince  and  a  judge  over  us  ?  thinkest  thou  to 
kill   me,  as  thou    killedst  the    Egyptian  ?     And    Moses  was 
taken  with  fear,  saying  to  himself,  Of  a  truth  then  the  thing 
is  known.     And  Pharaoh  also    heard  of  this  thing,  and  he  15 
sought   to  slay   Moses.     But  Moses   fled  from   the   face  of 
Pharaoh,   and   dwelt  in    the   land   of  Midian.     [And  Moses 
took  refuge  in  the  house  of  a  Midianite  named  Jethro,  and 
Jethro  gave  him  his  daughter  to  wife.     And  she  bare  unto 
Moses  two  sons  in  Midian].     The  name  of  the  one  was  18 — 3 
Gershom  ;  for   he   said,  I  became  a  "stranger"    {ger)  2 — 22b 
in   a  '  strange  '   land  ;    and   the  name  of   the   other   was  18 — 4 
Eliezer,  for  [he   said],   The   "  God  "  (el)  of  my   father  was 
my    "  help "    (cse/-)    and    delivered    me    from    the    sword    of 
Pharaoh. 

The   Divine    Call   of   Moses   at   Horeb.    God    Reveals   His 
name  Yahweh. 

Now  Moses  was  keeping  the  flock  of  '  Jethro  '   his  father    3 
in  law,  and  having  once  led  the  flock  to  the  further  side  of 


3:22     THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

the  wilderness,  he  came  to    '  the    mountain  of    Cjod,'    unto 
4  *  Horeb.'     And  '  God  '  called  unto  him  [out  of  the  mountain] 
6  and  said,  '  Moses,  Moses.     And  he  said,  Here  am  I.'     '  And 
he  said,  I  am  the  God  of  thy  father,'  the  God   of   Abraham, 
the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob.     And  Moses  hid  his 
face  ;  for   he   was   afraid   to    look   upon   '  God.'     [And   God 
said  unto  Moses,  Fear  not  ;  for  I  have  called  thee  that  thou 
9  mayest  deliver  my  people  Israel.]     And  now,   behold,   the 
cry  of  the  children  of  Israel  is  come  unto  me  ;  and   I   have 
seen  the  '  oppression  '    wherewith   the   Egyptians   '  oppress  ' 
lo  them.     Come   now   therefore,   and    I    will    send    thee    unto 
Pharaoh,  that  thou  mayest   bring  forth  my  people  the  chil- 
li dren  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt.     And  Moses   said   unto   'God,' 
Who  am  I,  that  I  should  go  unto  Pharaoh,  and  that  I  should 

12  bring  forth  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt?  And  he 
said,  Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee  ;  and  this  shall  be  the 
token  unto  thee,  that  I  have  sent  thee  :  when  thou  hast 
brought  forth  the  people  out  of  Egypt,  ye  shall  serve  'God' 

13  with  sacrifice  upon  this  mountain.  And  Moses  said  unto 
'  God,*  Behold,  when  I  come  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  and 
shall  say  unto  them.  The  God  of  your  fathers  hath  sent  me 
unto  you  ;  and  they  shall  say  to    me,  What  is    his    name  ? 

14  what  shall  I  say  unto  them  ?  And  '  God  '  said  unto  Moses, 
I  AM  WHAT  I  AM  :  and  he  said,  Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the 
children  of  Israel,  i  am  hath  sent  me  unto  you.     [And  thou 

4—14  shalt  go  unto  Pharaoh,  thou  and  Aaron  thy  brother],  be- 
hold he  Cometh  forth  to  meet  thee  ;  and  when  he  seeth  thee 

(5— i)  he  will  be  glad  in  his  heart.  [And  ye  shall  say  unto  Pha- 
raoh, Thus  saith  Yahweh  the   God  of   Israel,  Let   my  people 

3_i9  go].     And  I  know  that  the  king  of  Egypt  will  not  give  you 

20  leave  to  go,  save  by  [compulsion  of]  a  '  mighty  hand.'  And 
I  will  put  forth  my  hand,  and  smite  Egypt  with  all  my 
'  wonders 'which   I  will  do   in  the  midst   thereof:  and   after 

21  that  he  will  let  you  go.  And  I  will  give  this  people  favor 
in  the  sight  of  the  Egyptians  :   so  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that, 

22  when  ye  go,  ye  shall  not  go  enii^y  :  but  'every  woman  shall 
ask   of    her   neighbor,   and   of    her  that  sojourneth   in    her 


CIRC.  7 so  B.  C.  323 

house,  jewels  of  silver,  and  jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment  :  and 
ye  shall  put  them  upon  your  sons,  and  upon  your  daughters  ; 
and  ye  shall  spoil  the  Egyptians.'  .  .  .  And  Yahweh  said  4 — 21 
unto  Moses,  When  thou  goest  back  into  Egypt,  see  that  thou 
do  before  Pharaoh  all  the  '  wonders  '  which  I  have  put  in  thine 
hand  :  but  I  will  '  harden  '  his  heart,  and  he  will  not  let  the 
people  go.  And  thou  shalt  take  in  thine  hand  this  rod,  17 
wherewith  thou  shalt  do  the  signs. 

Moses'  Return  to  Egypt.     He  and  Aaron  Deliver  Yahweh's 
Message  to  Pharaoh. 

And  Moses  went  and  returned   to   '  Jether'   his  father  in  18 
law,  and  said  unto  him,  Let  me  go,  I   pray  thee,  and   return 
unto  my  brethren  which  are  in  Egypt,  and  see  whether  they 
be  yet  alive.     And  '  Jethro  '  said  to  Moses,  Go  in  peace,  and 
Moses  took  the  '  rod  of  God  '  in  his  hand  [and  departed]. 

And  Yahweh  said   to  Aaron,  Go   into  the   wilderness   to  27 
meet  Moses.     And  he  went,  and  met  him  in  the  *  mountain 
of  God,'  and  kissed   him.     And   Moses  told  Aaron  all   the  28 
words  of  Yahweh  wherewith  he  had  sent   him,  and   all   the 
signs  wherewith  he  had  charged  him.     And  afterward  Moses    5 
and  Aaron  came,  and  said  unto  Pharaoh,  Thus  saith  Yahweh, 
the  God  of  Israel,  Let  my  people   go.     And   Pharaoh   said,     2 
Who  is  Yahweh,  that  I  should  hearken  unto  his  voice  to  let 
Israel  go  ?     I  know  not  Yahweh,  and  moreover  I  will  not  let 
Israel  go.     And  the  king  of  Egypt  said   unto   them,  Where-    4 
fore  do  ye,  Moses  and   Aaron,  loose  the   people  from  their 
works  ?  get  you  unto  your  burdens. 

The   Plagues   of   Egypt.     First   Plague:  The   Nile  Turned 
TO  Blood. 

And  Yahweh  said  unto   Moses,  Now  shalt  thou   see  what    6 
I  will  do  to  Pharaoh  :  for  by  [compulsion  of]  a  '  strong  hand  ' 
shall  he    let  them   go,  and  by  a  *  strong  hand '  shall  he  drive 
them    out    of  his    land.     Get    thee  unto    Pharaoh    in    the  15 
morning  ;  lo,  he  goeth  out  unto  the  water :  and  thou  shalt 
stand    *  by  the  river's  brink '    to  meet  him  ;  and    *  the   rod 


324       THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

which  [I  gave  thee]  shalt  thcni  take  in  thine  hand.'  [And 
*  thou  shalt  smite]  with  the  rod  that  is  in  thine  hand  ' 
upon  the  waters  which  are  in  the  river,  and  they  shall  be 
turned  to  blood.  [So  Moses  went  unto  Pharaoh  in  the 
morning]  '  and  he  lifted  up  the  rod,  and  smote  '  the  waters 
that  were  in  the  river,  '  in  the  sight  of  Pharaoh,  and  in  the 
sight  of  his  servants  '  ;  and  all  the  waters  that  were  in  the 
23  river  were  turned  to  blood.  But  Pharaoh  turned  and  went 
into  his  house,  neither  did  he  lay  even  this  to  heart. 

Second  Plague:  The  Hail. 

22  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  '  Stretch  forth  thine  hand  ' 
toward  heaven,  that  there  may  be  hail  in  all  the  land  of 
Egypt,  '  upon  man,  and  upon  beast,'  throughout  the  land  of 

23  Egypt.  And  '  Moses  stretched  forth  his  rod  '  toward 
heaven  :  and  Yahweh   sent   thunder  and   hail,  and  fire   ran 

25  down  unto  the  earth.  And  the  hail  smote  throughout  all 
the  land  of  Egypt  all  that  was  in  the  field,  '  both  man  and 

35  beast.'  But  the  heart  of  Pharaoh  was  *  strong,'  and  he  did 
not  let  the  children  of  Israel  go. 

Third  Plague:  The  Locusts. 

12  '  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thine  ,.:iid  ' 
over  the  land  of  Egypt  for  the  locusts,  that  they  may  come 
up  upon  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  eat  every  'herb  of  the  land,' 

13  even  all  that  the  hail  hath  left.     '  And  Moses  stretched  forth 

14  his  rod  '  over  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  the  locusts  came  up 
over  all  the  land   of  Egypt  ;  and   they   did   eat  every  '  herb 

20  of  the  land,'  even  all  that  the  hail  had  left.  '  But  Yahweh 
made  Pharaoh's  heart  strong  and  he  did  not  let  the  children 
of  Israel  go.' 

Fourth  Plague:  The  Darkness. 

21  '  .And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Stretch  out  thine  hand 
toward  heaven,'  that  there  may  be  darkness  over  the  land 

22  of  Egypt,  even  darkness  which  may  be  felt.  'And  Moses 
stretched  forth   his  hand  toward    heaven  '  ;   and  there  was   :i 


CIRC.  750  B.  C.  325 

'  thick   darkness  '  in  all   the    land  of   Egypt   '  three  days  '  ;  23 
they  saw  not  one   another,  neither    rose  any  from   his   place 
for  '  three  days  '  :  but  all  the  children  of  Israel  had  light  in 
their  dwellings.     '  But  Yahweh  made  Pharaoh's  heart  strong,  27 
and  he  would  not  let  them  go.' 

Fifth  Placue.     Death  of  the  Firstborn.    The  Exodus. 

And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Vet  one  plague  more  will  111 
bring  upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon  Egypt  ;  afterwards  he  will  let 
you  go  hence  :....*  yea,  he  shall  even  thrust  you  out  by 
force.     Speak  now  in  the  ears  of  the  people,  and  let  them     2 
'ask   every  man  of  his  neighbor,  and   every  woman  of  her 
neighbor,  jewels  of  silver,  and  jewels  of  gold.     And  Yahweh    3 
gave    the    people    favor  in    the    sight    of    the     Egyptians.' 
Moreover  '  the  man    Moses  '  was   very  great    in  the  land   of 
Egypt  in  the  sight  of  Pharaoh's  servants,  and  in  the  sight  of 
the  people.     [And  it  came  to  pass  that  night  that  the  angel 
of  God  passed  through  all  the  land  of  Egypt  and  smote  all 
the  firstborn  of  Egypt].     And  [Pharaoh]  called   for  Moses  31 
and  Aaron  by  night,  and  said,  Rise  up,  get  you  forth  from 
among  my  people,  both  ye  and  the  children  of  Israel.     [So 
Moses  and  all  the  people  rose  up  and  went  forth   from  the 
land    of  Egypt,  and  the  angel  of  God   went  be-  (Nu.  20.  16) 
fore  them].    And  the  children  of  Israel  did  according  to  12 — 35 
the  word  of  Moses  ;  and  'they  asked  of  the  Egyptians   jew- 
els of  silver,  and  jewels  of  gold,  and  raiment  :  and  Yahweh  ^d 
gave  the  people  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  Egyptians,  so  that 
they  let  them  have  what   they  asked.     So   they  spoiled   the 
Egyptians.' 

The  Journev  out  of  Egvpt.     Passage. of  the   Red   Sea    and 
Song  of  Miriam. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Pharaoh  had  let  the  people  13 — 17 
go,  that  *  God  '  led    them    not  by  the  way  of  the  land  of  the 
Philistines,  although  that  was  near  ;  for  '  God  '  said  to  him- 
self. Lest  peradventure  the  people  repent  when  they  see  war, 

*  The  text  is  corrupt.     Literally,  "  when  he  shall  wholly  let  you  go." 


32e      THE  ErHRAlMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

i8  and  they  return  to  Egypt  :  but  'God'  led  the  people  about, 
'  by  the  way  of  the  wilderness  towards  '  the  Red  Sea  :  and 
the  children  of   Israel  went  up   in  battle   array  out  of  the 

19  land  of  Egypt.  And  Moses  took  the  [)ones  of  Joseph  with 
him  :  for  he  had  straitly  sworn  the  children  of  Israel,  say- 
\\\g^  '  God  will  surely  visit  you  ;  and  ye  shall  carry  up  my 
bones  away  hence  with  you.'     [But  when    Pharaoh   saw  that 

14—3  the  people  went  toward  the  Red  Sea]  he  said  to  himself 
as  to  the  children  of  Israel,  They  are  entangled  in  the  land, 

5     the  wilderness  hath  shut  them  in.     So  he  took  six  hundred 

(Jos.  24 — 6)  chosen  chariots  and  captains  over  all  of  them  [and 
pursued    after  Israel.     And   they    came    to   the  sea].     And 

iob-19  the  children  of  Israel  '  cried  out  unto  Yahweh.'  And 
'the  angel  of  God'  which  was  going  before  the  camp  of 
Israel  removed  and  went  behind  them  ;  and  it  came  to  pass 
[.  .  .  ]  the  cloud   and   the   darkness.*     [And   Moses    cried 

15  out  unto  Yahweh.     And  Yahweh  said].    Wherefore  *  criest 

16  thou  unto  me  '  ?  'Lift  thou  up  thy  rod  '  [over  the  sea,  and 
the    waters    shall    withdraw   themselves,   and    the     children 

(Is.  10 — 26)  of  Israel  shall  go  forward.  So  Moses  lifted  up 
(15 — 8)  his  rod  over  the  sea,  and  the  waters   receded  and  stood 

upright,  so  that  Israel  went  forward  into  the  midst  of  the  sea. 

And  the  Egyptians  pursued  after  them,  for  Yahweh  had 
25a  brought  a  thick  darkness  upon  them].     And  he  bound  their 

chariot  wheels  so  that  they  dravethem  heavily.  [And  when 
(Jos.  li'l — 7)  Israel  was  clean  passed  over,  Yahweh  brought 
31  back  the  sea  upon  the  Egyptians  and  covered  them].     And 

Israel   saw  the    great   miracle    which    Yahweh   had  wrought 

against    the   Egyptians,    and    the   people   '  feared    "N'ahweh  ' ; 

and  they  '  believed  in  '  ^'ahweh,  and   in  '  Moses  his  servant.' 

*  Literally,  "  And  it  came  to  pass  the  cloud  and  the  darkness."  The  ver- 
sions give  no  hclj).  The  words  belong  to  1%  for  it  is  in  M's  version  that  the 
cro.ssing  takes  place  by  day,  when  "  darkness  "  would  be  a  i)rotcction  ;  whereas 
in  J  it  takes  place  by  night.  Moreover  Jos.  .xxiv.  7  (K)  e.xjjressly  refers  to  the 
fact  that  Yahweh  "brought  thick  darkness  between  you  and  the  PIgyptians." 
The  sense  may  perhaps  have  been  that  the  "  angel  "('•  <•  nianifestation)  of 
Ciod  assumed  the  form  of  cloud  and  darkness  ;  or  more  probably  something 
parallel  to  xiii.  2if.  (J)  has  been  stricken  out. 


CIRC.  750  B.  C.  327 

'And  Miriam  the  prophetess,'  the  'sister  of  Aaron,'  15 — 20 
took  a  timbrel  in    her  hand  ;  and  all  'the   women  went  out 
after  her   with   timbrels    and   with     dances.'     And    Miriam  21 
'  sang  in  reponse  with  them.' 

Sing  ye  to  Yahweh,  for  he  is  highty  exalted, 

The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  he  hurled  into  the  sea. 

Massah.    Yahweh  "Proves"  Israel  with  Hunger,  and  gives 
THEM  Manna  to  Eat. 

[And  Yahweh  led  Israel  onward   into  the  wilderness,  and 
they  came   to    Massah  ("  Place  of  Proving"  )].     There  he  25b 
'made  for  them  a  statute  and  an  ordinance,'  and  there  '  he 
"  proved  ''  them.'     [For  the  people  hungered,  and  they  cried 
unto  Moses    saying,  Give    us  bread  to  eat].     Then    said  16 — 4 
Yahweh  unto  Moses,  Behold,   I  will  rain  bread  from   heaven 
for   you  ;   and  the    people  shall  go  out  and  gather  a  day's 
portion  every  day,  that  I  may  "  prove  "  them,  whether  they 
will  walk  in  my  law,  or  no.     [And   they  rose  up  early  in  the 
morning  and,  behold,  there  lay  upon  the  face  of  the  wilder- 
ness round  about  the   camp  a   small    flake].     And  when   the  15 
children  of  Israel  saw  it,  they  said  one  to  another,  "  man  hit  " 
("what  is  it  "?),  for  they  wist  not  what  it  was.  And  Moses  said  16 
unto  them.     This  is  the  thing  which  Yahweh  hath  ordained. 
Gather  ye  of  it  every  man  according  to  his  eating;  let  no  19b 
man    leave  of    it    till  the    morning.     Notwithstanding   they  20 
hearkened  not  unto  Moses  ;  but  some  of  them  left  of  it  until 
the  morning,  and  it  bred  worms,  and  stank  :  and  Moses  was 
wroth  with  them.     So  they  gathered  it  morning  by  morning,  21 
every  man  according  to  his  eating  :  and  when  the  sun  waxed 
hot,  it  melted.     [And  they  called  the  name  thereof  ma//j/d]. 
So  the  children  of  Israel  did  eat  the  manna  forty  years,  until  35a 
they  came  to  a  land  inhabited. 

Meribah  :    Water  from  the  Smitten  Rock. 

And  there  was  no  water  for  the  people  to  drink.  17 — ib 
Wherefore  the  people  "  strove  "  with  Moses,  and  said.  Give  2 
us  water  that  we  may  drink.  '  And  Moses  said  unto  them. 


328       THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

4  Why  "  strive  "  ye  with  me  ?  And  '  Moses  cried  unto  Vah- 
weh  '    saying,    ^Vhat    shall    1  do  unto  this    people  ?  they  be 

5  almost  ready  to  stone  me.  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses, 
Pass  on  before  the  people,  and  '  take  with  thee  of  the  elders 
of  Israel  '  ;  and  '  thy  rod,  wherewith  thou  smotest  the  river, 
take  in  thine  hand,'  and  go  [unto  the  place  where  I    called 

6  thee  at  the  first].  Behold,  1  will  stand  before  thee  there 
upon  the  rock  in  Horeb  ;  and  thou  shalt  smite  the  rock,  and 
there  shall  come  water  out  of  it,  that  the  people  may  drink. 
And  Moses    did    so  '  in  the    sight   of    the   elders  of    Israel.' 

7  And  he  called  the  name  of  the  place  Meribah,  because  of 
the  "  strivmg  "  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

The  Theophany  at  Horeb  to  all  the  People. 

19 — 3a      And  Moses  went  up  unto  '  God.'     And  he    said    unto 

Moses,    Lo,  I    am    about    to    come    unto    thee    in   a    '  thick 

9  cloud,'    so  that    the    people    may    hear    when    I   speak   with 

thee,   and    may    also    '  believe  thee  '   forever.     Go  unto  the 

10  people   and  '  sanctify  them   to-day  and  to-morrow,'    and  let 

11  them    'wash     their    garments'  and   be  ready    against   'the 

14  third  day.'  So  Moses  went  down  from  the  mount  unto 
the  people,  and   '  sanctified   the  people ' ;  and  they  '  washed 

15  their    garments.'     And  he  said  unto  the   people.  Be  ready 

16  'against  the  third  day  :'  come  not  near  a  woman.  And  it 
came  to  pass  on  the  '  third  day,'  when  it  was  morning,  that 
there  were  thunders  and  lightnings,  and  a  'thick  cloud' 
upon  the  mount,  and  the  voice  of  a  '  trumpet  '  exceeding 
loud  ;  and   all    the  people   that  were   in   the  camp  trembled. 

17  .'\nd  Moses  brought  forth  the  people  out  of  the  camp  '  tc^ 
meet  God  ;  '  and  they  stood  at  the  nether  part  of  the  mount. 

19  And   when    the    voice   of  the   'trumpet'    waxed    louder   and 
louder,  Moses    spake,  and    'God'   answered  him    by  a  voice. 
20 — 1       And  'God  '  spake  all  these  words,  saying, 

2  I  am  Yahweh  thy  God,  which  brought  thee  out  of  the 
land  of  Kgyi-)t. 

3  Thou  shalt  have  none  other  Gotls  beside  me. 

4  Thou   shalt  not    make   unto  thee  a /-.'.w/ (cut  or  hewn  idol). 


CIRC.  750  B.  C.  -it'^ 

Thou  shalt  not  invoke  the  name  of  ^'ahweh  thy  God  upon     7 
a  falsehood. 

Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  sanctify  it.  8 

Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother.  12 

Thou  shalt  do  no  murder.  13 

Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery.  14 

Thou  shalt  not  steal.  15 

Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neighbor.        16 
Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  goods.  17 

And  when  all    the    people  saw  the  thunderings,  and  the  18 
lightnings,   and  the   voice  of  the  trumpet,  the  people  were 
afraid  and  trembled,  and  stood  afar  off.     And  they  said  unto  19 
Moses,  Speak  thou  with  us,  and  we  will  hear  :  but  let  not 
'  God  '  speak  with  us,  lest  we  die.     And  Moses  said  unto  the  20 
people.  Fear  not  :  for  '  God  '  is  come  '  to    prove  you,'  and 
that  'his  fear'  may  be  before  you,  that  ye  sin  not.     So  the  21 
people  stood  afar  oft",  and  Moses  drew  near   unto  the  '  thick 
darkness  '  where  '  (jod  '  was. 

And  Yahweh  '  called   unto  him  out  of  the  mountain,'  19 — 3b 
saying.  Thus    shalt    thou   say  to    the    house  of   Jacob,  and 
tell  the  children  of  Israel  ;  [I  have  heard  the  words  (Dt.  5 — 28) 
which  ye  have  spoken.     Now  therefore  if  ye  will  obey  my 
voice  indeed  and  keep    these  my  commandments,  I  will    be 
your  God  and  ye  shall  be  my  people,  and  I  will  bring  you  in 
and  establish  you  in  the  land  which  I  sware  unto  your  19 — 6b 
fathers].     These  are  the  words  which  thou  shalt  speak  unto 
the  children  of  Israel.     And  Moses  came  and  called  for  '  the    7 
elders  of  the  people,'  and  set  before  them  all  these  words 
which    Yahweh    commanded     him.       And     'all    the     people    8 
answered  together,  and  said,'  All  that  Yahweh  hath  spoken 
we  will  do.     And  Moses  reported  the  words  of  the  people 
unto  Yahweh. 

Moses    and   Joshua   on  the   Mount.    The  Tables  of  Stone 
AND  THE  Law. 

And   Yahweh  said   unto  Moses,  Gome  up  to  me  into  the  12 
mount,  and  abide  there  :   and  I  will  give  thee  the  tables  of 


330       THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOC  I'M  EXT  E. 

stone,  which  1   have  written,  and  the  judgment  and  the  law, 

13  that  thou  mayst  teach  them.  So  Moses  rose  up,  and 
'Joshua  his  minister  '  :  and  Moses  went  up  into  '  the  mount 

14  of  God.'  And  he  said  unto  the  people,  Tarry  ye  here  for  us, 
until  we  come  again  unto  you  :  and,  l)ehold,  '  Aaron  and 
Hur '  are  with  you  :  whosoever  '  hath  a  cause  '  to  plead  let 

1 8b  him  come  near  unto  them.  So  he  went  up  into  the  mount : 
and  Moses  was  in  the  mount  forty  days  and  forty  nights. 

The  People's  Apostasy.    Story  of  ihe  G(^lden  Bull. 

32  And  when  the  people  saw  that  Moses  delayed  to  come 
down  from  the  mount,  the  people  gathered  themselves  to- 
gether unto  Aaron,  and  said  unto  him,  Up,  make  us  a  god, 
which  shall  go  before  us  ;  for  as  for  this  Moses,  the  man 
that  brought  us   up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  we  know  not 

2  what  is  become  of  him.  And  Aaron  said  unto  them.  Break 
off  the  golden  '  rings,'  which  are  in  the  ears  of  your  wives, 
of  your  sons,  and  of  your  daughters,  and  bring  them  unto 

3  me.     And  all  the  people  brake  off  the  golden  '  rings  '  which 

4  were  in  their  ears,  and  brought  them  unto  Aaron.  And  he 
received  it  at  their  hand,  and  fashioned  it  with  a  graving 
tool,  and  made  it  a  little  molten  bull:  and  they  said,  '  This  is 
thy  god,  O  Israel,  which  brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of 

5  Egypt.'  And  when  Aaron  saw  it,  he  built  an  altar  before 
it  ;  and  Aaron  made  proclamation,  and  said,  To-morrow  shall 

6  be  a  feast  to  Yahweh.  So  'they  rose  up  early  on  the  mor- 
row,' and  'offered  burnt  offerings,  and  brought  peace  offer- 
ings '  ;  and  the  i)eople  sat  down  to  eat  and  to  drink,  and  rose 
up  to  play. 

[Now  when   Yahweh   had  given   Moses   the  law  and  com- 
mandment to  teach  the  people,  and  had  made  an  end  of  speak- 
31 — 18  ing  with  him,  he  gave  unto  him]  two  tables  of  stone,  'writ- 
32 — 16  ten  with  the  finger  of  God.'      And  the  tables  were  the 
work  of  'God,'  and  the  writing  was  the  writing  of  'God,'  graven 
upon  the  tables.    [So  Moses  turned,  with  Josiiua  his  minister, 
17  and  they  came  down  from  the    mount.  |      And    when    Joshua 
heard  the  noise  of   the  people  as  they  shouted,  he   said    unto 


CIRC.  750  /j'-  <-'■  331 

Moses,  There  is  a  noise  of  war  in  the  camp.     And  he  said,  It  18 
is  not  the  sound  of  voices  that  shout  in  victory,  neither  is  it 
the  (answering)  cry  of  them  that  are  overcome  ;  but  the  sound 
of  them  that  sing  do  1  hear.     And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  19 
as  he  came  nigh  unto  the  camp,  that  he  saw  the  little  bull 
and  the  dancing  :  and  Moses'  anger  waxed  hot,  and  he  cast 
the  tables  out  of  his  hands,  and  brake  them  beneath  the  mount. 
And  he  took  the  little  bull  which  they  had  made,  and  burnt  20 
it  with   fire,  and   ground  it  to  powder,  and  strewed  it  upon 
the  water,  and  made  the  children  of  Israel  drink  of  it.     And  21 
Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  What  did  this  people  unto  thee,  that 
thou  hast  brought  a  great  sin  upon  them  ?     x\nd  Aaron  said,  22 
Let   not  the  anger  of  my  lord  wax   hot  :  thou  knowest  the 
people,  that  they  are   [set]  on  evil.     For  they  said  unto  rhe,  23 
*  Make  us  a  god,  which  shall  go  before  us  :  for  as   for  this 
Moses,  the  man  that  brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
we   know  not  what   is  become    of    him.'     And    I  said  unto 
them,  'Whosoever  hath  any  gold,  let  them  break  it  off '  ;  so  24 
they  gave  it  me  :  and  I  cast   it  into  the  fire,  and  there  came 
out  this  little  bull. 

Moses'  Intercession    for  the   People.     They   put  off  their 
Ornaments  in  Penitence. 

And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  Moses  said  unto  30 
the  people,  '  Ye  have  sinned  a  great  sin  '  :  and  now  I  will  go 
up  unto  Yahweh  ;  peradventure  I  shall  make  atonement  for 
your  sin.     So  Moses  returned  unto  Yahweh,  and  said,  'Oh,  31 
this  people  have  sinned  a  great  sin,'  and  have  made  them  a 
god  of  gold.     Yet  now,  if  thou  wilt  forgive  their  sin — ;  and  32 
if  not,  blot  me,  I  pray  thee,  out  of  thy  book  which  thou  hast 
written.     And   Yahweh   said   unto    Moses,  Whosoever  hath  t,2) 
sinned  against    me,  him  will  I  blot   out  of  my  book.     And  34 
now  go,  lead   the  people  unto  the  place   of  which    I    have 
spoken  unto  thee  :  behold,  '  mine  angel '  shall  go  before  thee  : 
nevertheless  in  the  day  when  I   requite,  I  will  requite  their 
sin  upon  them.     And  when  the  people  heard  these    evil  33 — 4 
tidings,  they  '  mourned  '  ;  and  no  man  did  put  on   him   his 


3:52     THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

6  '  ornaments.'     So  the  children  of  Israel  stripped  themselves 
of  their  '  ornaments  '  from  mount  '  Horeb  '  onward. 

The  Renewal  of  the  Covenant.     Construction  of  the  Ark 
AND  Tent  of  Meetino. 

[And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  I  have  heard  the  mourn- 
ing of  the  people.  Go  thou  unto  them  and  say,  If  with  all 
your  heart  ye  will  turn  unto  me  I  will  yet  make  my  covenant 
with  you,  and  be  your  God  ;  and  of  these  ornaments  which  ye 
have  put  off  shall  ye  make  a  tent  where  I  will  meet  with  you, 
2-1- — 4  and  I  will  teach  you  how  ye  shall  worship  me.  And 
thou  shalt  write  the  words  of  the  covenant  and  put  the  book 
of  this  covenant  in  an  ark  of  wood,  and  it  shall  be  kept  there 
in  the  Tent.  So  Moses  went  unto  the  people  and  told  them. 
And  he  prepared  the  Ark  of  God  and  the  Tent.] 

The  Book  of  the  Covenant.     A  Second  Ten  Words. 

20 — 2  2  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Thus  thou  shalt  say 
unto  the  children  of  Israel,  Ye  yourselves  have  seen  that  I 
have  talked  with  you  from  heaven. 

23  Ye  shall  not  make  [other  gods]    with    me  ;  *  gods    of    sil- 

24  ver  '  or  '  gods  of  gold  '  ye  shall  not  make  unto  you.  An 
altar  of  earth  thou  shalt  make  unto  me,  and  shalt  '  sacrifice 
thereon  thy  burnt  offerings,  and  thy  peace  offerings,'  thy 
sheep,  and  thine  oxen  :  in  every  place  where  I  establish  a 
memorial  of  myself  I  will  come    unto  thee  and   I  will  bless 

25  thee.  And  if  thou  make  me  an  altar  of  stone,  thou  shalt 
'not   build    it    of    hewn   stones':  for  if  thou  lift  up  thy  tool 

26  upon  it,  thou  hast  [loUuted  it.  Neither  shalt  thou  go  wy)  by 
steps  unto  mine  altar,  that  thy  nakedness  be  not  uncovered 

towards  it. 
28— 10       And    six    years  thou    shalt    sow  thy    land,    and   shalt 

11  gather  in  the  increase  thereof  :  but  the  seventh  year  thou 
shalt  let  it  rest  and  lie   fallow.      In    like    manner   thou    shalt 

12  deal  with  thy  vineyard,  [and]  with  thy  oliveyard.  Six  ilays 
thou  shalt  do  thy  work,  and  on  the  seventh  day  thou  shalt 
keep  sabbath. 


ClJiC.  750  B,  C.  333 

Three    times    thou  shalt    '  keep    a    feast '   unto  me  in  the  14 
year.     The    'feast    of  unleavened  bread'  shalt  thou  keep:  15 
and    '  the   feast    of    harvest,'    the    firstfruits    of   thy  labors,  16 
which  thou  sowest  in  the  field  :   and  '  the   feast  of  ingather- 
ing,'  at  the   end   of  the  year,  when    thou  gatherest  in    thy 
labors  out  of  the  field. 

Thou  shalt  not  withhold   of  thine  abundance,  nor  of  32 — 29 
the  fruits  of   thy    wine-press.     '  The    lirstborn  of  thy  sons ' 
shalt  thou  give  unto  me.     Likewise  shalt  thou  do  with  thine  30 
oxen,  with  thy  sheep  and  with  thy  beast  of  burden  ;*  seven 
days  it  shall  be  with  its  dam  ;  on  the  eighth  day  thou  shalt 
give  it  me.     And  ye  shall  be   holy  men  unto  me  :  therefore  31 
ye  shall  not  eat  any  flesh  that  is  '  torn  of  beasts  '  in  the  field  ; 
ye  shall  cast  it  to  the  dogs. 

Thou    shalt    not    offer  the  blood  of  my  sacrifice  with  23 — 18 
leavened  bread  ;  neither  shall  the  fat  of  my  feast  remain  all 
night  until  the  morning.     Thou  shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  its  19b 
mother's  milk.     And  in  all  things  that  I  have  said  unto  you  13 
take  ye  heed  :  and  make  no  mention  of  the  name  of  '  other 
gods,'  neither  let  it  be  heard  out  of  thy  mouth. 

The  Promise. 

Behold,  I  am  '  sending  an  angel  before  thee,'  to  keep  thee  20 
by  the  way,  and  to  bring  thee  into  the  place  which  I  have 
prepared.     Take    ye    heed    of    him,  and    hearken    unto    his  21 
voice  ;  be  not  rebellious  against  him  :  for  he  will  '  not  pardon 
your  transgression  '  ;  for  my    name  is  in  him.     But  if  thou  22 
shalt  indeed  hearken  unto  his  voice,  and  do  all  that  I  speak  ; 
then  : 

I  I    will    be  .  an   enemy    unto  thine  enemies,  and   an   adver- 
sary unto  thine  adversaries. 

I  will  bless  thy  bread,  and  thy  water  ;  and  I  will  take  25 
sickness  away  from  the  midst  of  thee.  There  shall  none  26 
cast  her  young,  nor  be  barren,  in  thy  land. 

The  number  of  thy  days  I  will  fulfil. 

And  I  will  send  '  the  hornet '  before  thee,  which  shall  28 
*  "  And  with  thy  beast  of  burden,"  supplied  from  LXX. 


334      THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHEriC  DOCUMENT  E. 

29  drive  out  the  '  Amorite  '  from  before  thee.  I  will  not  drive 
him  out  from  before  thee  in  one  year  ;  lest  the  land  become 
desolate,  and   the   beast   of  the   field  multiply  against  thee. 

30  By  little  and  little  1  will  drive  him  out  from  before  thee, 
until  thou  be  increased  and  inherit  the  land. 

31  And  1  will  set  thy  border  from  the  Red  Sea  even  unto 
the  Sea  of  the  Philistines, and  from  the  wilderness  unto  the 
Euphrates. 

The  Covenant  Ratified. 

24 — 3  And  Moses  came  and  told  the  people  all  the  words  of 
Yahweh  :  and  '  all  the  people  answered  with  one  voice,  and 
said,'  All  the  words  which  Yahweh  hath  spoken  will  we  do. 

4  And  Moses  wrote  all  the  words  of  Yahweh,  and  '  rose  up 
early  in  the  morning,'  and  '  builded  an  altar '  under  the 
mount,   and   '  twelve  pillars,   according   to  the  twelve  tribes 

5  of  Israel.'  And  he  sent  '  young  men  '  of  the  children  of  Is- 
rael, which   'offered  burnt    offerings,    and  sacrificed    peace 

6  offerings  '  of  oxen  unto  Yahweh.  And  Moses  took  half  of 
the  blood,  and  put  it  in   basons  ;  and   half  of  the  blood   he 

7  sprinkled  on  the  altar.  And  he  took  the  '  writing  of  the 
covenant,'  and  read  in  the  audience  of  the  j^eople  :  and 
'they  said.  All  that  Yahweh  hath  spoken  will  we  do,'  and  be 

8  obedient.  And  Moses  took  the  blood,  and  sprinkled  it  on 
the  people,  and  said.  Behold  the  blood  of  the  covenant, 
which  Yahweh  hath  made  with  you  on  [the  basis  of]  all  these 
commandments.  [And  Moses  placed  the  book  of  the  Cov- 
enant in  the  ark  and  set  it  in  the  Tent.] 

Jethro's  Visit.     He  Brings   the  Familv  of  Moses. 

18       Now  when  Jethro,  '  Moses'  father  in  law,'  heard  of  all  that 

2  '  God  '  had  done  for  Moses,  and  for  Israel  his  people,  '  Jeth- 

3  ro,   Moses'  father  in   law,'   took   Zipporah,  Moses'  wife,  and 

5  her  two  sons,  and  came  with  his  sons  and  his  wife  unto 
Moses  into  the  wilderness  where  he  was  encamped,  'at  the 

6  mount  of  (iod  '  :  and  he  said  unto  Moses,  I  thy  '  father  in  law 


CIRC.  750  B.   C.  335 

Jethro  '  am  come  unto  thee,  and  thy  wife,  and  her  two  sons 
with  her;     And  Moses  told  his  father  in  law  all  that  Yahweh    8 
had    done    unto    Pharaoh  and  to  the  Egyptians  for   Israel's 
sake,  all  the  '  travail  '  that  had  come  upon  them  by  the  way, 
and  how  Yahweh  delivered  them.     And  'Jethro'    rejoiced    9 
for  all  the  goodness   which    Yahweh  had  done  to  Israel,  in 
that    he    had    delivered    them  out  of  the  ha-nd  of  the  Egyp- 
tians.    And  'Jethro,  Moses'  father  in  law,'  took  [cattle  for]  12 
a  burnt  offering  and  a  sacrificial  feast  at  the  shrine  of  'God': 
and  Aaron  came,  and  'all  the  elders  of  Israel,'  to  feast  with 
Moses'  father  in  law  at  the  sanctuary  of  '  God.' 

Jethro's  Counsel.     Appointment  of  Judges. 

And  it  came  to  pass    on   the   morrow,   that   Moses  sat  to  13 
'judge    the    people':    and    the    people    stood  about  Moses 
from  the   morning   unto   the  evening.      And    when    Moses'  14 
father   in   law   saw    all   that  he   did   for  the  people,  he  said. 
What  is  this  thing  that  thou  doest  for  the  people  ?  why  sit- 
test  thou  thyself  alone,  and  all  the  people  stand    about  thee 
from  morning  unto  even  !     And  Moses  said  unto  his  father  15 
in  law,  Because  the  people  come  unto  me  '  to  obtain   an  ora- 
cle  of  God  '  :  when  '  they  have  a  suit  to  plead  '  they  come 
unto  me  ;  and  I  judge  between  a  man  and  his  neighbor,  and  16 
I   make  them  know  the   '  judgments   of  God,'  and  his  laws. 
And    Moses'  father   in    law    said  unto    him.  The  thing  that  17 
thou  doest   is  not   good.     Thou   wilt  surely  wear  out   both  18 
thyself  and   this   people   that   is  with  thee  :  for  the  thing  is 
too  heavy  for  thee  ;  thou  art  not  able  to  perform  it  thyself 
alone.     Hearken  now  unto  my  voice;  I  will  give  thee  coun-  19 
sel,  and  '  God  '  shall  be  with  thee  :  be  thou  at  the  people's 
service  toward  '  God,'  and  '  bring  thou  the  causes  unto  God  '  : 
and     thou     shalt     teach    them     the    'judgments    and     the  20 
laws.'       And   for  the  rest  thou  shalt  provide  out  of  all  the  21 
people  able  men,  such  as  '  fear  God,'  men    of  truth,  hating 
unjust  gain,  and  place  such  over  them,  to  be  '  rulers  of  thou- 
sands,   rulers    of    hundreds,  rulers  of   fifties,    and  rulers  of 
tens  '  ;  and  let  them  '  judge  the  people  '  at  all  seasons  :  and  22 


'S-M       THE  EFHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

it  shall  be,  that  every  great  matter  they  shall  bring  unto 
thee,  but  every  small  matter  they  shall  judge  themselves  : 
so  shall  it    be  easier    for  thyself,  and  they  shall  bear  [the 

23  burden]  with  thee.  If  thou  shalt  do  this  thing,  and  '  God  ' 
command  thee  so,  then  thou  shalt  be  able  to  endure,  and  all 

24  this  people  also  shall  go  to  their  place  in  peace.  So  Moses 
hearkened    to  the  voice  of    his  father  in  law,    and  did    all 

25  that  he  had  said.  And  Moses  chose  able  men  out  of  all 
Israel,  and  made  them  heads  over  the  people,  '  rulers  of 
thousands,  rulers  of  hundreds,  rulers  of  fifties,  and  rulers  of 

26  tens.'  And  they  'judged  the  people'  at  all  seasons:  the 
hard  '  causes  '  they  brought  unto    Moses,  but   every  small 

27  matter  they  judged  themselves.  And  Moses  let  his  father 
in  law  depart  ;  and  he  went  his  way  into  his  own  land. 

Moses'   Intercourse   with    Yahweh  at    the  Tent.    Appoint- 
ment OF  Seventy  Elders 

33 — 7  Now  Moses  used  to  take  the  Tent  and  to  pitch  it  with- 
out the  camp,  afar  off  from  the  camp  ;  and  he  called  it.  The 
Tent  of  meeting.  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  every  one 
which  '  sought  an  oracle  from  Yahweh,'  would  go  out  unto 

8  the  Tent  of  meeting,  which  was  '  without  the  camp.'  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  ever  Moses  went  out  unto  the  Tent, 
that  all  the  people  rose  up,  and  stood,  every  man  at  his 
tent  door,  and  looked  after  Moses,  until  he  was  gone  into 

9  the  Tent.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  often  as  Moses  entered 
into  the  Tent,  'the  pillar  (^f  cloud  would  descend,  and  stand 
at  the  door  of  the  Tent"  :  and  he  would  speak  with   Moses. 

10  And  when  all  the  people  saw  the  pillar  of  cloud  stand  at 
the    door    of   the    Tent,    all   the   people  would   rise  up  and 

11  worship,  every  man  at  his  tent  door.  And  Yahweh  spake 
unto  Moses  '  face  to  face,'  as  a  man  sj^eaketh  unto  his 
friend.  And  he  would  return  again  into  the  camp  :  hut  '  his 
minister  Joshua,  the  son  of  Nun,  a  young  man,'  never  de- 
parted out  of  the  Tent. 

Num.  11 — 16  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  '  Gather  unto  me 
seventy  men  of  the  elders  of  Israel,'  whom  thou  knowest  to  be 


CIRC.  750  />'.  C  337 

the  elders  of  the  people,  and  '  officers  '  over  them  ;  and  bring 
them  unto  the  Tent  of  meeting,  that  they  may  stand  there 
with  thee.  And  I  will  come  down  and  talk  with  thee  there  :  17 
and  I  will  take  of  *  the  spirit '  which  is  upon  thee,  and  will 
put  it  upon  them  ;  and  they  shall  '  bear  the  burden  of  the 
people  '  with  thee,  that  thou  bear  it  not  thyself  alone.     So  he  24 

*  gathered  seventy  men  of  the  elders  '  of  the  people,  and  set 
them  round  about  the  Tent.  And  Yahweh  came  down  in  25 
the  cloud,  and  talked  with  him,  and  took  of  'the  spirit  '  that 
was  upon  him,  and  put  it  upon  the  seventy  elders  :  and  it 
came  to  pass,  that,  when  '  the  spirit  '  rested  upon  them,  they 
'fell  into  prophetic  ecstasy'  but  they  did  so  no  more.  But  26 
there  remained  two  men  in  the  camp,^  the  name  of  the  one 
was  Eldad,  and  the  name  of  the  other  Medad  and  '  the 
spirit '  rested  upon  them  ;  for  they  were  of  them  that  were 
written,  but  had  not  gone  out  unto  the  Tent  :  so  they  '  were 

in  the  ecstasy'  in  the  camp.     And  there   ran  a  young  man^  27 
and    told    Moses,    and    said,    Eldad    and     Medad    'are    in 
ecstasy  '  in  the   camp.     And   '  Joshua  the   son    of  Nun,  the  28 
minister    of     Moses  from    his    youth,'    answered    and    said, 
My    lord    Moses,  forbid   them.     And  Moses  said  unto  him,  29 
Art  thou  jealous  for  my  sake  ?  would  God  that  all  Yahweh's 
people  were  '  prophets,'  that  Yahweh  would  put  '  his  spirit ' 
upon  them  !      And  Moses  gat   him  into   the  camp,   he  and  30 

*  the  elders  of  Israel.' 


Miriam  and  Aaron  Murmur  at  Moses'  Marriage. 

And  '  Miriam  and  Aaron  spake  against  Moses'  because  12 — i 
of   the   Cushite    woman    whom    he   had  married.    And  they    2 
said,  Hath  Yahweh  indeed  spoken  only  by  Moses?  hath  he 
not  spoken  also  by  us  ?     And  Yahweh  heard  it.     Now  '  the    3 
man  Moses '  was  very  meek,  above  all  the  men  which  were 
upon  the  face  of  the  '  earth.'     And  Yahweh  spake  suddenly    4 
unto  Moses,  and  unto  Aaron,  and  unto  '  Miriam,'  Come  out 
ye  three  unto   the  Tent  of  meeting.     And  they  three  came 
out.     And  Yahweh  '  came  down  in  a  pillar  of  cloud,  and  stood     5 


388     THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

at  the  door  of  the  Tent,'  and  called  Aaron  and  '  Miriam  '  : 
and  they  both  came  forth.     And  he  said, 

6  Hear  now  my  words  ; 

If  there  be  a  '  prophet '  among  you 

I  Yahweh  will  make  myself  known  unto  him  in  a  *  vision.' 

I  will  speak  with  him  in  a  '  dream.' 

7  *  My  servant  Moses '  is  not  so  ; 

He  is  entrusted  with  all  my  affairs  : 

8  With  him  will  I  speak  '  mouth  to  mouth,' 
Even  manifestly,  and  not  in  dark  speeches  ; 
And  the  form  of  Yahweh  shall  he  behold: 
Wherefore  then  were  ye  not  afraid  to  '  speak  against ' 

'  my  servant,'  against  Moses  ? 

9  And  the  anger  of  Yahweh'  was  kindled  against  them  ;  and 

10  he  departed,  and  the  cloud  removed  from  over  the  Tent. 
But,  behold,  '  Miriam  '  was  leprous,  as  [white  as]  snow  :  and 
Aaron  looked  upon  '  Miriam,'  and,  behold,  she  was  leprous. 

1 1  And  Aaron  said  unto  Moses,  Oh  my  lord,  blame  us  not,  I 
pray  thee,  for  that  we  have  done  foolishly,  and  for  that  we 

12  have  sinned.  Let  her  not,  I  pray,  be  as  one  still-born,  of 
whom  the  flesh  is  half  consumed  when  he  cometh  out  of  his 

13  mother's  womb.  And  '  Moses  cried  unto  Yahweh,'  saying, 
Not  so,  I  beseech  thee.     Heal  her,  Yahweh,  I  beseech  thee. 

14  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  If  her  father  had  but  spit  in 
her  face,  should  she  not  be  put  to  shame  seven  days  1  let  her 
be  shut  up  '  without  the   camp '  seven   days,  and  after  that 

15  she  shall  be  brought  in  again.  And  Miriam  was  shut  up 
'without  the  camp'  seven  days  :  and  the  people  journeyed 
not  till  Miriam  was  brought  in  again. 


[Departure  from  HorebJ.     Rephidim    and  the   Battle  with 
Amai.ek. 

[And  afterward  the  people  set  forward  from  the  mount  of 
God  and  the    angel    of    (iod  went    before  them.     And    they 
came  unto  Rephidim]. 
Ex.  17 — 8    Then  came  forth  .\malek,  to  fight  with  Israel  in  Rep- 


CIRC.  750  B.  c.  m% 

hidim.    And  Moses  said  unto  '  Joshua,' Choose  us  out  men,  and    9 
go  out,  fight  with  Amalek  to-morrow  :  but  I  will  stand  on  the 
top  of  the  hill  '  with  the  rod  of  God  in  mine  hand.'     So  Joshua  10 
did  as  Moses  had  said  to  him,  and  went  to  fight  with  Amalek  : 
and  Moses,  '  Aaron,  and  Hur  '  went  up  to  the  tup  of  the  hill. 
And  It  came    to    pass,  when    Moses  held  up    his    hand,  that  11 
Israel  prevailed  :  anc!    when  he  let    down  his    hand,  Amalek 
prevailed.     But  Moses'  hands  were  heavy  ;  and  they  took  a  12 
stone,  and  put  it  under  him,  and  he  sat  thereon  ;  and  '  Aaron 
and  Hur '  stayed  up  his  hands,  the  one  on  the  one  side,  and 
the  other  on  the  other  side  ;  and  his  hands  were  steady  until 
the  going  down  of  the  sun.     And  Joshua  discomfited  Amalek  13 
and  his  people  with  the    edge  of    the  sword.     And    Yahweh  14 
said  unto  Moses,  Write  [the  account  of]  this   for  a  memorial 
in  a  book,  and  rehearse  [the  song]  in  the  ears  of  Joshua  :  for 
I  will    utterly    blot    out  the    remembrance    of  Amalek    from 
under  heaven.     And    Moses  '  built  an  altar,'  and  called  the  15 
name  of   it  Yahweh-nissi  :   "  Yahweh  my   standard  "  and  he  16 
said, 

A  hand  upon  the  "standard  of  Yah." 

Yahweh  hath  war  with  Amalek  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration.* 


NUMBERS.     CHeb.     "  Lx  the  Wilderness.") 
Murmurs  at  Taberah. 

And  the  people  were  as  men  who  bewail  their  misfortunes  11 
in  the  ears  of  Yahweh  :  and  when  Yahweh  heard  it,  his  anger 
was  kindled  ;  and  '  the  fire  of   Yahweh  '  burnt  among  them, 
and  devoured  in  the  uttermost    part  of  the   camp.     And  the    2 
people  cried  unto  Moses  ;  'and  Moses  prayed  unto  Yahweh,' 
and  the  fire  abated.     And  the  name  of  that  place  was  called    3 

*  As  in  the  case  of  ch.  xv.  vv.  i  and  21  and  elsewhere,  only  a  line  or  two, 
probably  the  opening  lines,  of  the  poem  are  given.  The  original  must  of  course 
have  been  longer  and  doubtless  served  the  author  as  source.  Cf.  i  Sam.  xt. 
especially  the  lines  of  vv.  22f. 


340      THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

Taberah   (/.  c.   "  Burning ")  because    '  the    fire    of    Yahweh  ' 
"  burnt  "  among  them. 

The  Rehkllion  of  Datean  and  Abiram. 

1§ — I  Now  Dathan  and  Abiram  the  sons  of  Eliab,  sons  of 
2  Reuben,  rose  up  against  Moses,  with  certain  of  the  children 

12  of  Israel.  And  Moses  sent  to  call  Dathan  and  Abiram,  the 
sons  of  Eliab  :  and  they  said,  We  will  not  come  up.  [And 
Dathan  and  Abiram  gathered  the  people  together  in  the 
camp  and  sent  word  unto   Moses,  saying,   Come  down  unto 

14b  us  if  thou  have  aught  to  say  unto  us  .  .  .  j  :  wilt  thou  put 

25  out  the  eyes  of  these  men  1  we  will  not  come  up.  So  Moses 
rose  up  and  went  unto  Dathan  and  Abiram  ;  and  'the  elders 

28b  of  Israel '  followed  him.     And  Dathan  and  Abiram  came  out, 

32  and  stood  at  the  door  of,  their  tents,  [  .  .  .  ]  and  the 
'  earth  '  opened  her  mouth,  and  swallowed  them  up,  and 
their  '  households.'     And  the  '  earth  '  closed  upon  them,  and 

34  they  perished  from  among  the  assembly.  And  all  Israel 
that  were  round  about  them  fled  at  the  cry  of  them  :  for 
they  said  to  themselves.  Lest  the  '  earth  '  swallow  us  up. 

The  Story  of  the  Spies.     The  Grapes  of  Eshcol, 

'20 — I       And  the  people  abode  in  Kadesh,  and  '  Miriam  '  died 

there  '  and  was  buried  '  there. 
(Dt.  1 — 2off.)       [.\nd  Moses  said  unto  the  people.  Ye  are  come 
unto  the   land  which   Yahweh   hath  given  you,  (lo   up  there- 
fore and  take  it  in  possession,  and  he  will  be  with  you.     .\nd 
they  came   near  unto  him  and   said,  Let  us  send  men  that 
they  may  spy  out  the  land,  and  bring  us  word  again  how  we 
must  go  up  and  what  cities  are  in  it.     So  Moses  hearkened 
unto  them,  and  he  chose  twelve  men,  out  of  every  tribe   a 
13 — 17b  man,  and  said  unto  them].  Go  up  into  the  hill-country 
18  and  see  the  land  what  it  is,  and  the  people  that  dwelleth 
20  therein,  whether  they  be  few  or  many,  and  what  the  land  is, 
whether  it  be  fat  or  lean,  whether  there  be  wood  therein, 
or  not.     And  be  ye  of  good  courage,  and  bring  of  the  fruit 
of    the   land.     Now  the   time  was   the   time  of   the   firstripe 


CIRC.  750  B.  C.  341 

grapes.     [So   they    went    up]    and  came   unto  the  valley  of  23 
Eshcol,  and  cut  down  from  thence  a  branch  with  one  cluster 
of  grapes,  and  they  bare  it  upon  a  staff  between  two  ;  [they 
brought]  also  of  the  pomegranates,  and  of  the   figs.     That  24 
place  was  called  the  valley  of  Eshcol,  (/.<'.  "  Grape- cluster  ") 
because  of  the   "  cluster  "  which  the  children  of  Israel  cut 
down  from  thence.     [And  they  returned  to   Moses' and  all  26b 
the  people]  to  Kadesh  ;  and  brought  back  word  to  them  and 
shewed   them  the   fruit  of  the  land.     [And  they  said  unto 
Moses,  The  land  whither  we  went  up  to  search  it  out  is  an 
exceeding  good  land]  and  this  is  the  fruit  of  it  [but  the  peo- 
ple that  dwell  in  it  are  many  and  strong].     Amalek  dwelleth  29 
in  the  '  land  of  the  South  '  :  and  the  Canaanite  dwelleth  by 
the  sea,  and  '  along  by  the  side  of '  Jordan,  and  all  the  peo- 
ple that  we  saw  in  it  are  men  of  great  stature.     And  there  2,2) 
we  saw  the  Nephilim,  and  we  were  in  our   own    sight   [as 
compared  with   them]  as  grasshoppers,  and  so  we  were   in 
their  sight. 

Rebellion  at  the  Report  of  the  Spies. 

And  the  people  wept  that  night,  and  [said],  '  Where-  14 — ib-3 
fore    doth    Yahweh    bring  us    unto    this    land '    '  to  fall    by 
the  sword  '  ?     And  they  said  .one  to  another.  Let  us  make  a    4 
captain,  and  let  us  return  into  Egypt. 

[And  the  anger  of  Yahweh  was  kindled,  and  he  said  unto 
Moses,  Surely  not  one  of  these  that  have  rebelled  against 
me  shall  see  the  land  which  I  promised  to  their  fathers.  Go 
not  up  hence  ;  for  I  will  nc^  be  with  you,  and  ye  shall  be 
beaten  down  before  your  enemies;  for  the  Amorite  dwelleth 
on  the  table-land]  and  '  the  \malekite  and  the  Canaanite  '  25 
dwell  in  the  low  country  :  to-morrow  turn  ye,  and  get  you 
into  the  wilderness  'by  the  way  to  the  Red  Sea.' 

The  Disaster  at  Hormah.    Israel  goes  up  Presumptuously. 

And    Moses    told    these    words    unto    all  the  children  of  39 
Israel  :  '  and  the  people  mourned  greatly.'     '  .And  they  rose  40 


343      THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHEllC  DOCUMENT  E. 

up  early  irx  the  morning,'  and  gat  them  up  to  the  top  of  the 
mountain,  saying,  Lo,  we  be  here,  and  will  go  up  unto  the 
place  which  Yahweh  hath  promised  :  '  for  we  have  sinned.' 

41  And  Moses  said.  Wherefore  now  do  ye  '  transgress  the  com- 

42  raandment '  of  Yahweh,  seeing  it  shall  not  prosper  ?  Go 
not  up,  for  Yahweh  is  not  among  you  ;  that  ye  be  not  smit- 

43  ten  down  before  your  enemies.  For  there  '  the  Amalekite 
and  the  Canaanite  '  are  before  you,  and  '  ye  shall  fall  by  the 
sword  '  :  because  ye  are  turned   back  from   following  Yah- 

44  weh,  therefore  Yahweh  will  not  be  with  you.  But  they  pre- 
sumed to  go  up  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  :  nevertheless 
the  ark  of  Yahweh   and   Moses,  '  departed   not '  out  of  the 

45  camp.  Then  the  '  Amalekite  came  down,  and  the  Canaan- 
ite '  which  dwelt  in  that  mountain,  and  smote  them  and  beat 
them  down,  even  unto  Hormah.  (LXX)  So  they  returned 
to  the  camp  [and  Israel  abode  many  days  in  Kadesh.] 

The    Embassy    t(j    the     King    of     Edom.     Israel     Journeys 
Around  Edom  and  Moab. 

20 — 14  And  Moses  sent  messengers  from  Kadesh  unto  the 
king  of  Edom,  Thus  saith  thy  brother  Israel,  Thou  know- 
est  all  the  '  travail  '  that  hath  befallen  us  :  how  our  fathers 

15  went  down  into  Egypt,  and  we  dwelt  in  Egypt  a   long  time  ; 

16  and  the  Egyptians  evil  entreated  us,  and  our  fathers  :  and 
when  we  '  cried  unto  Yahweh,'  he  heard  our  voice,  and 
'sent  an  angel,'  and  brought  us  forth  out  of  Egypt  :  and,  be- 
hold, we  are    in    Kadesh,  a  city  '  in  the  uttermost    of    thy 

17  border'  :  let  us  pass,  I  pray  thee,  through  thy  land  :  we  will 
not  pass  through  field  or  through  vineyard;  neither  will  we 
drink  of  the  water  of  the  wells  :  we  will  go  along  the 
king's  [high]  way,  we  will  not  turn  aside  to  the  right   hand 

18  nor  to  the  left,  until  we  have  passed  thy  border.  And 
Edom  said  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  not   pass  through   me,  lest 

19  I  come  out  with  the  sword  against  thee.  And  the  children 
of  Israel  said  unto  him,  We  will  go  up  by  the  high  way  : 
and  if  we  drink  of  thy  water,  I  and  my  tattle,  then  will  I 
give   the  price   thereof  :   let    me   only,    without   [doing]  any 


CIRC.  750  /)'.  C.  343 

thing  [else],  pass  through  on  my  feet.     And  he  said,  Thou  20 
shalt  not  pass  through.     And  Edom   came   out  against  him 
with  much  people,  and  'with  a  strong  hand.'     Thus  Edom  21 
refused  to  give  Israel  passage  through   his  border  :  where- 
fore  Israel  turned   away  from  him,  'by  the   way  to  the  21 — 4 
Red  Sea,'  to  compass  the  land  of  Edom. 

The  Serpent  of  Brass.    Murmurs  at  the  Manna  are  Visited 
WITH  Fiery  Serpents. 

Now  the  people  became  disheartened   because  of  the  21 — 4b 
[long]   journey.     And    the    people    '  spake   against  '   '  God,'    5 
and  '  against  Moses,'  '  Wherefore  have  ye  brought  us  up  out 
of  Egypt  to   die  in  the  wilderness'  ?  for  there  is  no  bread, 
and  there  is  no  water  ;  and  our  soul  loatheth  this  miserable 
food.     And  Yahweh  sent  the  fiery  serpents  among  the  peo-    6 
pie,  and   they  bit  the  people  ;  and  much    people  of    Israel 
died.     And  the  people  came  to  Moses,  and  said,  '  We  have    7 
sinned,'    because    we    have    '  spoken    against    Yahweh,    and 
against  thee  '  ;  'pray  unto  Yahweh,'  that  he  take  away  the 
serpents   from    us.     And    '  Moses    prayed    for    the    people.' 
And  Yahweh  said  unto   Moses,  Make   thee  a   fiery  serpent,    8 
and  set  it  upon  a  '  standard  '  :  and  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that 
every  one  that  is  bitten,  when   he   seeth    it,   shall   live.     vSo    9 
Moses  made  a  serpent  of  brass,  and  set  it  upon  the  '  standard  '  : 
and  it  came  to  pass,  that  if  a  serpent  had  bitten   any  man, 
when  he  looked  unto  the  serpent  of  brass,  he  lived. 

The  Desert   Journey.     Death  of    Aaron   and    Appointment 

OF    ELEAZAR    10   THE    PRIESTHOOD. 

[.\nd  the  people   journeyed   many  days  in  the  wilderness, 
and  they  encamped  at  ...  ]  and  Laban  and  Hazeroth  Dt.  1 — i 
and  Dizahab.  [.  .  .  ]  And  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed  10 — 6 
from  Beeroth    Benejaakan  ("Wells  of    the    Jaakanites"  [in 
mount  Seir])  to  Moserah:    there  Aaron  died,  and  '  there   he 
was  buried  '  ;  and  Eleazar  his  son  ministered  in  the  priest's 
office  in  his  stead.     From  thence  they  journeyed  unto  dud-    7 
godah  (Num.  xxxiii.  32f,  "  Hor-haggidgad  "  );  and  from  (lud- 


:Ui      THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMEXT  E. 

godah  to    Jotbathah,  a  land    of   "brooks  of   water"  [.  .  .  ] 
Num.  21 — lib.  in  the  wilderness  wiiicli   is  eastward  of   Moab 

12  toward  tlie   sunrising.     '  From  thence  they  journeyed,   and 

13  pitched  '  in  the  valley  of  Zered.  '  PYotn  thence  they  jour- 
neyed, and  pitched  '  on  the  further  side  of  Arnon,  which  is 
in  (/.  c.  where  it  flows  through  ?)  the  wilderness,  [the  stream] 
that  Cometh  out  of  the  border  of  the  '  Amorites '  :  for 
Arnon  is  the  border  of  Moab,  between  Moab  and  the  'Amor- . 

14  ites.'     Wherefore  it  is  said  in  the  book  of  the  Wars  of  Yahweh, 

Vaheb  in  Suphah, 

And  the  valleys  thereof  ; 

15  Arnon,  and  the  slope  of  the  valleys 
That  incline  toward  the  dwelling  of  Ar, 
And  lean  on  the  border  of  Moab. 

The  War  with  Sihon  King  of  the  Amorites.    Conquest  of 
THE  Territory  of  Gad  and  Reuben. 

21  And  Israel  sent  messengers  unto  Sihon  king  of  the  '  Amor- 

22  ites,'  saying,  'Let  me  pass  through  thy  land  :  we  will  not 
turn  aside  into  field,  or  into  vineyard  ;  we  will  not  drink  of 
the  water  of  the  wells  :  'we  will  go  by  the  king's  [high]  way, 

23  until  we  have  passed  thy  border.'  And  Sihon  would  not 
suffer  Israel  to  pass  through  his  border  :  but  Sihon  gathered 
all  his  people  together,  and  went  out  against  Israel  into  the 
wilderness,   and    came    to    Jahaz  :  and    he    fought    against 

24  Israel.     And   Israel   smote  him  with  the  edge  of  the  sword, 

27  and  possessed  his  land  from  Arnon  unto  Jabbok.  Where- 
fore the  taunting  poets  say, 

Come  ye  to  Heshbon, 

Let  the  city  of  Sihon  be  built  and  established  : 

28  For  a  fire  went  forth  out  of  Heshbon, 
A  flame  from  the  city  of  Sihon  : 

It  devoured  Ar  of  Moab, 

The  lords  of  the  high  ])laces  of  Arnon. 

29  Woe  to  thee.  Moab  ! 

Thou  art  undoiie,  O  people  of  Chemosh  : 
He  (Chemosh)  gave  his  sons  as  fugitives, 


CIRC.  750  n.  C.  345 

And  his  daughters  into  captivity. 

We  shot  at  them  ;   Heshbon  perished  even  unto   Dibon,  30 
And  we  laid  it  waste, 
Until  fire  was  kindled  (?)  unto  Medeba. 
Thus  Israel  dwelt  in  the  land  of  the  '  Amorites.'  31 

The    Prophecy    of    Balaam.     Balak's  Messengers    come   to 

BRING    YAHWEH'S    PROPHET    FROM    ARAM    NaHARAIM. 

And  Balak  the  son   of   Zippor  [king   of   Moab]  saw  all  22 — 2 
that  Israel   had  done   to   the    'Amorites,'     And   Moab  was    3 
sore  afraid  of  the  people,  because  they  were  many.     And  he    5 
sent   messengers   unto   Balaam   the   son  of   Beor,  to   Pethor, 
which   is  by  the  'Euphrates'  to    call   him,   saying,    Behold, 
there  is  a  people  come  out  from.  Egypt  :  behold,  they  cover 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  they  abide  over  against  me  :  come    6 
now  therefore,  I  pray  thee,  curse  me  this  people  ;  for  '  they 
are  too  mighty  for  me  '  :  peradventure  I  shall  prevail,  that 
we  may  smite  them,  and  that  I  may  drive  them  out  of  the  land: 
for  I  know  that   he  whom  thou   blessest   is   blessed,  and   he 
whom  thou  cursest  is  cursed.     And  they  came  unto  Balaam,     7 
and  spake  unto   him  the  words  of  Balak.     And  he  said  unto    8 
them,  Lodge  here    this  night,    and    I   will   bring  you    word 
again,  as   Yahvveh   shall   speak  unto  me  :  and  the  princes  of 
Moab  abode  with   Balaam.     And  '  God  came  unto  '  Balaam,    9 
and  said,  What  men  are  these  with  thee  ?     And  Balaam  said  10 
unto  '  God,'   Balak   the   son   of   Zippor,  king  of   Moab,  hath 
sent  unto  me,  [saying].  Behold,  the  people  that  is  come  out  11 
of  Egypt,'  it  covereth  the  face  of  the  earth  :  now  come,  curse 
me    them  ;    peradventure    I    shall    be    able  to    fight  against 
them,   and    shall    drive    them    out.     And    'God'    said    unto  12 
Balaam,  Thou  shalt  not  go  with  them  ;   thou  shalt  not  curse 
the  people  ;  for  they  are   blessed.     And  Balaam  'rose  up  in  13 
the  morning,'  and   said   unto  the  princes  of  Balak,  Get  you 
into  your  land  :  for  Yahweh  '  refuseth  to  give  me  leave  '  to 
go  with  you.     And  the  princes  of   Moab  rose   up,  and   they  14 
went  unto  Balak,  and  said,  Balaam  refuseth  to  come  with  us. 
And  Balak   sent   yet   again   princes,  more,  and  more  honor-  15 


346       THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

i6  able  than  they.  And  they  came  to  Balaam,  and  said  to  him, 
Thus  saith  Balak  the  son  of  Zippor,  Let  nothing,  I  pray 
thee,  hinder  thee  from  coming  unto  me,  [And  Balaam 
answered  and  said,  What  Yahweh  saith  unto  me,  that  will  I 

19  do].  Now  therefore,  I  pray  you,  tarry  ye  also  here  this 
night,  that  I  may   know  what   Yahweh  will  speak   unto  me 

20  more.  '  And  God  came  unto  Balaam  at  night,'  and  said 
unto  him,  If  the  men  be  come  to  call  thee,  rise  up,  go  with 
them  ;   but  only  the  word  which  I  speak  unto  thee,  that  shalt 

21  thou  do.     So  'Balaam   rose  up  in   the   morning,' and  went 
16  with    the    princes    of    Moab.     And   when   Balak   heard  that 

Balaam  was  come,  he  went  out  to  meet  him  unto  Ir  of  Moab, 
which   is  on  the  border  of  Arnon,  [a  city]  which  is  '  in  the 

37  utmost  part  of  the  border.'  And  Balak  said  unto  Balaam,  Did 
I   not    earnestly   send    unto    thee    to    call   thee  ?    wherefore 

38  camest  thou  not  unto  me  ?  And  Balaam  said  unto  Balak, 
Lo,  now  I  am  corne  unto  thee  :  have  I  now  any  power  at  all 
to  speak  anything  ?    the   word  that   '  God  '   putteth   in   my 

40  mouth,  that  shall  I  speak.  And  Balak  sacrified  oxen  and 
sheep,  and  sent  [portions]  to  Balaam,  and  to  the  princes  that 
were  with  him. 

The  Oracle  against  Israel. 

41  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  morning,  that  Balak  took  Ba- 
laam, and  brought  him  up  unto  Bamoth  Baal  (/.  e.  "  High 
places  of  Baal  ")  and  he  saw  from  thence  the  utmost  part  of 

23 — I  the  people.  And  Balaam  said  unto  Balak, '  Build  me  here 
seven  altars,  and  prepare  me  here  seven  bullocks  and  seven 

2  rams.'  And  Balak  did  as  Balaam  had  spoken  ;  and  '  offered 
on  every  altar  a  bullock  and  a  ram,'  and  he  said  unto  him,  I 
have  '  prepared  the  seven  altars,  and  I  have  offered  up  a  bul- 

3  lock  and  a  ram  on  every  altar.'  And  Balaam  said  unto 
Balak,  Stand  by  thy  burnt  offering,  and  I  will  go  ;  peradven- 
ture   Yahweh  will  come  to  meet   me  :    and    whatsoever  he 

4  sheweth  me    I  will  tell  thee.     And  he  went  to  .  .  .  .*      And 
*The  translation  "  a  bare  height  "  usually  adopted  here  is  unknown  to  the 

versions  and  open  to  much  doubt,  if  not  inadmissilile.      Tiie  text  is  probably 
corrupt. 


CIRC.  750  B.  C.  347 

*  God  '  met  Balaam,  and  put  a  word  in  Balaam's  mouth,  and    5 
said,  Return  unto  Balak,  and  thus  thou  shalt  speak.     So  he  re-    6 
turned  unto  him,  and,  lo,  he  was  standing  by  his  burnt  offer- 
ing, he,  and  all  the  princes  of  Moab.     And  he  took  up  his    7 
oracle,  and  said, 

PVom  '  Aram '  hath  Balak  brought  me, 

The  king  of  Moab  from  the  mountains  of  the  East  : 

Come,  curse  me  Jacob, 

Yea  come,  taunt  Israel. 

How  shall  I  curse,  whom  God  hath  not  cursed  ?  8 

And    how    shall     I     taunt,    whom     Yahweh    hath     not 
taunted  ? 

For  from  the  top  of  the  rocks  I  see  him,  9 

And  from  the  hills  I  behold  him  : 

Lo,  it  is  a  people  that  dwell  alone, 

And  reckoneth  itself  not  of  the  nations. 

Who  can  number  the  dust  of  Jacob,  10 

Who  can  count  the  myriads  of  Israel  ? 

Let  me  die  the  death   of  the  "  righteous,"   {Yes/iaH//i)  \ 

And  let  my  succession  be  like  his  ! 
And  Balak  said  unto  Balaam,  What  hast  thou   done   unto  1 1 
me  ?     I  took  thee  to  curse  mine  enemies,  and,  behold,  thou 
hast  blessed  them  altogether.     And  he  answered  and  said,  12 
Must  I  not  take  heed   to   speak  that  which  Yahweh  putteth 
in  my  mouth  ?     And  Balak  said  unto  him,  Come,  I  pray  thee,  13 
with  me  unto  another  place,  from  whence  thou  mayest  see 
them    all,  and  curse  me  them  from  thence.      And  he  took  14 
him  into  the  field  of  Zophim,  ("  Watchers  ")  to  the  top  of 
Pisgah,  and  '  built  seven  altars,  and  offered  up  a  bullock  and 
a  ram  on  every  altar.'     And  he  said  unto  Balak,  Stand  here  15 
by  thy  burnt  offering,  while  I  meet  [Yahweh]  yonder.     And  16 
Yahweh  met  Balaam,  and  put  a  word  in  his  mouth,  and  said. 
Return    unto    Balak,   and    thus  shalt    thou   speak.     And   he  17 
came  to  him,  and,  lo,  he  stood  by  his  burnt  offering,  and  the 
princes  of  Moab  with  him.     And  Balak  said  unto  him.  What 
hath  Yahweh  spoken  ?     And  he  took  up  his  oracle,  and  said,  18 

t  Prrthably  a  play  upon  the  stem,  of  Israel,  yisrael,  like  "  Jeshurun  " yex/ntrun. 


34S      THE  EPHRAlMrrh  rRUJ'HETIC  DOC U MEAT  E. 

Rise  up,  Balak„  and  hear  ; 

Hearken  unto  me,  thou  son  of  Zippor  : 

19  God  is  not  a  man,  that  he  should  he  ; 
Neither  the  son  of  man,  that  he  should  repent  : 
Hath  he  said,  and  shall  he  not  do  it  ? 

Or  hath  he  spoken,  and  shall  he  not  make  it  good  ? 

20  Behold,  I  received  [commandment]  to  bless. 
And  have  blessed,  and  I  cannot  reverse  it. 

21  Iniquity  is  not  seen  in  Jacob, 

Nor  is  trouble  to  be  seen  in  Israel  : 

Yahweh  his  God  is  with  him. 

And  royal  acclamations  ar€- [heard]  in  their  midst. 

24  Behold,  the  people  riseth  up  as  a  lioness. 
And  as  a  lion  doth  it  lift  itself  up  : 

He  lieth  not  down  till  he  eat  of  the  prey. 
And  drink  the  blood  of  the  slain. 

25  And  Balak   said  unto  Balaam,  Neither  curse  them  at  all, 

26  nor  bless  them  at  all.  But  Balaam  answered  and  said  unto 
Balak,  Told  not  I  thee,  saying.  All  that  Yahweh  speaketh, 
that  I  must  do  ?  [And  Balaam  rose  up  and  returned  to  his 
place.     And  Balak  also- went  his  way.] 

Israel's  Idolaikv  with  Baal-peor. 

25 — la,  3       So  Israel  abode  at  Shittim.     And  Israel  joined  him- 
self unto  Baal-peor  :  and  the   anger  of  Yahweh  was  kindled 
5  against  Israel.     And  Moses  said  unto  the  '  judges  '  of  Israel, 
Slay  ye  every  one  his  men  that  have  joined  themselves  unto 
BaaI-j)eor. 

The  Inheritance  ok  Reuben  and  C^ad. 

32 — I  [Now  the  children  of  Reuben  and  the  children  of  Gad] 
had  a  multitude  [of  cattle].  And  when  they  saw  the  land 
of  Jazer,  and  the  land  of  (iilead,  that,  behold,  the  place  was 

16  a  place  for  cattle,  they  cariie  near  unto  [Moses],  and  said. 
We  will  build  '  sheepfolds  '  here  for  our  cattle,  and  cities  for 

;7  our  'little  ones  '  :  but  we  ourselves  will  be  ready  armed  to  go 
before   the  children   of   Israel,   until  we   have  brought   them 


CIRC.  750  B.  C.  349 

unto  their  place  :   and   our  '  little  ones  '   shall  dwell  in   the 
.fenced, cities  because  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  land.     [And 
Moses   said    unto    them]    Build    you  cities   for  your    '  little  24 
ones 'and   'folds   for  your  sheep  '  ;  and  do  that  which  hath 
proceeded  out   of  your  mouth.     So  Moses  gave  unto  them  33 
[the  land  of  Gilead  and  the  land  of  Jazer.]     And  the  children  34 
of  Gad  built   Dibon,  and  Ataroth,  and   Aroer  :    and  Atroth-  35 
shophan,  and  Jazer,  and  Jogbehah  ;  and   Beth-nimrah,  and  36 
Beth-haran  :  fenced  cities,  and  'folds  for  sheep.'     And  the  37 
children  of  Reuben  built  Heshbon,  and   Elealeh,  and  Kiria- 
thaim  ;  and  Nebo,  and  Baal-meon,  and   Sibmah  :  and  gave  38 
other  names  unto  the  cities  which  they  budded. 


DEUTERONOMY.    (Heb.  "  Words  of  Moses.") 

The   Covenant    in   the   Plain  of   Shittim.    Moses    gives   Is- 
rael THE  Statutes  and  Judgments  of  God. 

[Then  Moses  gathered  all  the  people  together  (Jos.  *24- — i) 
and  called  for  the  elders  of  Israel,  and  for  their  Eieads,  and 
for  their  judges,  and  for  their  officers,  and  they  presented 
themselves  before  God.  And  Moses  said  unto  the  (Dt.  5 — iff) 
people,  Behold,  Yahweh  our  God  made  a  covenant  with  us 
in  Horeb,  and  spake  to  you  out  of  the  mount  Ten  Words  ; 
and  he  wrote  them  upon  two  tables  of  stone  and  gave  them 
unto  me.  But  ye  were  afraid,  when  ye  heard  the  voice  of 
Yahweh,  and  ye  said  unto  me.  Go  thou  near  and  hear  the 
words  of  Yahweh  and  speak  unto  us  what  Yahweh  saith,  and 
we  will  hear  it  and  do  it.  And  Yahweh  heard  the  voice  of 
your  words,  and  he  said  unto  me,  They  have  well  said  all 
that  they  have  spoken.  Go,  say  to  them,  Return  ye  to  your 
tents.  But  as  for  thee,  stand  thou  here  by  me,  and  I  will 
speak  unto  thee  the  statutes  and  the  judgments  which  thou 
shalt  teach  them,  thafthey  may  do  them  in  the  land  which  I 
give  them  to  possess  it.  So  I  went  up  into  the  mount  (Dt.  9 — 9) 
unto  Yahweh,  to  receive  the  tables  of  stone,  even  the  tables 
of  the  covenant  which  Yahweh  made  with  you,  and   I  abode 


350      THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

(lo)  in  the  mount  forty  days  and  forty  nights.  And  Yahweh 
dehvered  unto  me  the  two   tables  of  stone  written  with  the 

(15 — 17)  finger  of  God.  So  1  turned  and  came  down  from  the 
mount,  and  the  two  tables  of  the  covenant  were  in  my  two 
hands.  And  1  looked,  and,  behold,  ye  had  sinned  against 
Yahweh,  ye  had  made  you  a  molten  calf.  And  I  took  hold 
of  the  two  tables  and  cast  them  out   of  my  two  hands  and 

(21)  brake  them  before  your  eyes.  And  I  took  your  sin,  the 
bull  that  ye  had  made  and  burned  it  with  fire,  and  stamped 
it,  grinding  it  very   small,  and  1  cast   the  dust  thereof  into 

(10 — lof.)  the  brook  that  descended  out  of  the  mount.  And  I 
went  up  and  fell  down  before  Yahweh  forty  days,  as  at  the 
first,  and  Yahweh  hearkened  unto  me  and  would  not  destroy 
you.  And  he  made  a  new  covenant  with  us  and  sent  an 
angeJ  before   you  to  bring  you  in   unto  the  land  which   he 

(1 — 6-8)  promised  you.  And  he  said  unto  me.  Ye  have  dwelt 
long  enough  in  this  mountain  ;  turn  you,  and  take  your  jour- 
ney and  go  to  the   hill  country  of  the  Amorites.     Behold  I 

(9 — 18)  have  set  the  land  before  you,  go  in  and  possess  it. 
And  I  spake  unto  you  at  that  time  saying,  I  am  not  able  to 
bear  you  alone.  Take  you  men  according  to  your  tribes, 
and  I  will  make  them  heads  over  you.  So  I  took  the  heads 
of  your  tribes,  wise  men  and  known,  and  made  them  heads 
over  you,  captains  of  thousands  and  captains  of  hundreds, 
and  captains  of  fifties,  and  captains  of  tens,  and  officers. 
And  I  charged  your  judges,  saying.  Hear  the  causes  be- 
tween your  brethren,  and  judge  righteously  bet\\'een  a  man 
and  his  brother,  and  the  stranger  that  is  with  him.  Ye  shall 
not  respect  persons  in  judgment.  Ye  shall  hear  the  small 
and  the  great  alike  ;  ye  shall  not  be  afraid  of  the  face  of 
man  ;  for  the  judgment  is  (lod's  :  and  the  cause  that  is  too 
hard  for  you  ye  shall  bring  unto  me  and  I  will  hear  it. 

(19 — 46)  So  we  journeyed  from  Horeb  by  the  way  to  the  hill 
country  of  the  Amorites  and  we  came  to  Kadesh.  And  ye 
came  near  unto  me  and  said,  Let  us  send  men  before  us 
that  they  may  search  the  land  for  us,  and  bring  us  word 
again.     So  T  took   twelve   men    of  you,  one    man  for  every 


CIRC.  750  B.  C.  3il 

tribe,  and  they  turned  and  went  up  into  the  mountain  coun- 
try, and  came  unto  the  valley  of  Eshcol  and  searched  it  out. 
And  they  took  of  the  fruit  of  the  land  and  brought  it  unto 
us  and  brought  us  word  again,  saying,  It  is  a  good  land 
which  Yahweh  giveth  unto  us.  But  ye  would  not  go  up, 
but  rebelled  against  Yahweh,  and  said,  Yahweh  hath  brought 
us  up  to  deliver  us  into  the  hand  of  the  Amorite  to  destroy 
us.  And  Yahweh  was  angry  and  said  unto  me.  Surely  not 
one  of  these  that  have  rebelled  against  me  shall  see  the  land; 
turn  you  and  take  your  journey  into  the  wilderness  by  the 
way  to  the  Red  Sea.  Then  ye  answered  and  said  unto  me, 
We  have  sinned  against  Yahweh,  we  will  go  up  and  fight  as 
he  commanded  us.  And  ye  girded  on  every  man  his  weap- 
ons and  deemed  it  a  light  thing  to  go  up  into  the  mountain 
country.  And  Yahweh  said  unto  me,  Say  unto  them,  Go 
not  up,  nor  fight  ;  for  I  am  not  among  you  ;  lest  ye  be  smit- 
ten before  your  enemies.  But  ye  rebelled  against  the  word 
of  Yahweh  and  went  up  into  the  mountain.  And  the  Amor- 
ite which  dwelt  in  that  mountain  came  out  against  you,  and 
chased  you  as  bees  do,  and  beat  you  down  in  Seir  even  unto 
Hormah.  And  ye  returned  and  wept  before  Yahweh.  but  he 
hearkened  not.     So  ye  abode  in  Kadesh  many  days. 

Then  we  turned  and  took  our  journey  into  the  wilder-  (2 — i) 
ness  by  the  way  to  the  Red  Sea,  as  Yahweh  had  spoken  unto 
me  :  and  we  compassed  mount  Seir  many  days  and   went  up 
through    the   wilderness    of    Kedemoth.      And  I  sent  (26 — 37) 
messengers  out  of   the  wilderness  of    Kedemoth  unto  Sihon 
king  of  Heshbon  with  words  of  peace,   saying.  Let  me  pass 
through  thy  land.     But  Sihon  king  of  Heshbon  would  not 
suffer  us  to  pass  by  him,  but  came  out  against  us,  he  and  all 
his  people   unto  battle  at    Jahaz.     And  Yahweh   delivered 
up  the    Amorites    before  us    and    we   possessed    their  land. 
And  I  gave  the  land  for  an  inheritance  unto  the  chil-  (3 — i2ff.) 
dren  of  Gad  and  Reuben,  and  commanded  them  saying.  Ye 
shall  surely  pass  over  with  your  brethren  until  Yahweh  have 
driven  out  the  Amorite  from  before  you.     Afterward  shall  ye 
return  hither  unto  your  possession.] 


352     THE  EPHRAI}rrTE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

27—17     Remember    what    Amalek  did   unto   thee  by  the  way, 

1 8  when  ye  came  out  of  Egypt,  how  he  met  thee  by  the  way 
and  smote  all  that  were  feeble  of  thee,  and  '  feared  not  God  ' ; 

19  therefore  it  shall  be,  when  Yahweh  hath  given  thee  rest  from 
all  thine  enemies  round  about,  that  ye  shall  blot  out  the 
remembrance  of  Amalek  from  under  heaven. 

(23ff.)     [And  Moses  said  unto  all  the  people.  Behold,  we  stand 

18  here  before  Jordan,  and  Yahweh  hath  said  unto  me.  Thou 
shalt  not  go  over  this  Jordan  ;  now  therefore  hearken,  and 
I  will  speak  unto  you  the  statutes  and  the  judgments  which 

19  Yahweh  gave  unto  me  m  mount  Horeb  to  teach  you,  that  ye 
might  do  them  in  the  land  whither  we  go  over  to  possess  it,] 

The  Book  op^  Judgments. 

(Ex.  21 — i)  And  [Yah-.reb  said  unto  me]  These  are  the  judg- 
ments which  thou  shalt  set  before  them. 

2  If  thou  buy  an  Hebrew  slave,  six  years  he  shall  serve  :  and 

3  in  the  seventh  he  shall  go  out  free  for  nothing.  If  he  come 
in  by  himself,  he   shall   go  free  by  himself  :  if  he  be  '  mar- 

4  ried,'  then  his  wife  shall  go  free  with  him.  If  his  master 
give  him  a  wife,  and  she  bear  him  sons  or  daughters  ;  the 
wife  and  her  children  shall  be  her  master's,  and  he   shall  go 

5  free  by  himself.  But  if  the  servant  shall  plainly  say,  I  love 
my  master,  my  wife;  and  my  children  ;  I  will  not  go  out  free  ; 

6  then  his  master  shall  '  bring  him  unto  God,'  and  shall  bring 
him  to  the  door,  or  unto  the  door  post  [of  the  sanctuary]  ; 
and  his  master  shall  bore  his  ear  through  with  an  awl  ;  and 
he  shall  be  his  slave  forever. 

7  Antl  if  a  man  sell  his  daughter  to  be  a  '  maidservant,'  she 

8  shall  not  go  free  as  the  menservants  do.  If  she  please  not 
her  master,  and  he  hath  not  cohabited  with  her,  then  shall 
he  let  her  be  redeemed  :  to  sell  her  unto  a  strange  people 
he    shall    have    no    power,  seeing  he  hath  dealt  deceitfully 

9  with  her.     And  if  he  espouse  her  unto  his  son,  he  shall  deal 

10  with  her  after  the  manner  of  daughters.  If  he  take  him 
another  [wife],  her  food,  her  raiment,  and   her  duty  of  mar- 

11  riage,  shall  he  not  diminish.     And  if  he  do  not  these  three 


CJRC.  7  so  B.  C.  353 

unto    her,     then    shall    she    go     free     for     nothing,   without 
money. 

He    that    smiteth    a    man,    so    that   he     die,   shall     surely  12 
be  put  to  death.      And  if  a  man  lie   not  in    wait,   but   '  God'  13 
deliver  [his  enemy]  into  his  hand  ;  then  he  shall  flee  to  mine 
altar.     But  if  a  man  con^e  presumptuously  upon  his  neigh-  14 
bor,  to  slay  him  with  guile  ;   thou  shalt  take  him    from  mine 
altar,  that  he  may  die.     And  he   that  smiteth   his   father,  or  15 
his  mother,  shall  be  surely  put  to  death.     And  he  that  steal-  16 
eth  a  man  of  the  children  of  Israel,*    whether   he  have  sold 
him  or  he  be    found  in   his   hand,  he  shall    surely  be  put  to   ^ 
death. 

And   if  men  contend,  and  one  smiteth   the    other  with  a  18 
stone,  or  with  his  list,  and  he   die  not,  but   keep  his  bed  :    if  19 
he  rise  again,  and  walk  abroad  upon   his  staff,  then   shall   he 
that  smote  him  be  quit  •  only  he  shall  pay  for  the  loss  of  his 
time,  and  shall  cause  hnn   to  be  thoroughly  healed.      But  if  23 
any  mischief  follow,  then  thou  shalt  give  life  for  life,  eye  for  24 
eye,  tooth  for  tooth,  hand  for  hand,  foot   fi  r   foot,   burning  25 
for  burning,   wound  for  wound,    stripe    for  stripe.       And  if  22 
men  strive  together,  and   hurt   a  woman  witii  child,  so  that 
her  fruit  depart,  and   yet   no    mischief    follow  :  he  shall  be 
surely  fined,  according  as    the   woman's   husband  shall  lay 
upon  him  ;  and  he  shall  pay  for  the  miscarriage. 

And  if  a  man   smite  his    bondman,  or  his   '  bondwoman  '  20 
with  a  rod,  and  he   die   under  his   hand  ;  he  shall  surely  be 
punished.     Notwithstanding,  if  [the  slave]    linger  a   day  or  21 
two,  he  [the  master]  shall  not  be'  punished  :  for  he  [the  lost 
slave]   is  his   money.     And  if  a   man    smite   the  eye  of  his  26 
bondman,  or  the  eye  of  his  '  bondwoman,'  and  destroy  it  ;  he 
shall  let  him  go  free  for  his  eye's  sake.     And  if  he  smite  out  27 
his  bondsman's  tooth,  or  his  '  bondwoman's  '  tooth  ;  he  shall 
let  him  go  free  for  his  tooth's  sake. 

And  if  an  ox  gore  a  man  or  a   woman,  that   they  die,  the  28 
ox  shall  be  surely  stoned,  and   his   flesh  shall  not  be  eaten  ; 
but  the  'owner  '  of  the  ox  shall  be  quit.     But  if  the  ox  were  29 

*  So  LXX. 


354     THE  EPHRAIMITE  PROPHETIC  DOCUMENT  E. 

wont  to  gore  in  time  past,  and  it  hath  been  testified  to  his 
'  owner,'  and  he  hath  not  kept  him  in,  but  he  hath  killed  a 
man  or  a  woman  ;  the  ox  shall   be  stoned,  and  his  '  owner  ' 

30  also  shall  be  put  to  death.  If  there  be  laid  on  him  a  ran- 
som, then  he  shall  give  for   the  redemption  of  his  life  what- 

31  soever  is  laid  upon  him.  Whether  he  have  gored  a  son,  or 
have  gored   a  daughter,  according  to  this  judgment  shall  it 

32  be  done  unto  him.  If  the  ox  gore  a  bondman  or  a  '  bond- 
woman'; he  shall  give  unto  their  master  thirty  shekels  of 
silver,  and  the  ox  shall  be  stoned. 

T,T,      And  if  a  man  shall  open  a  pit,  or  if  a  man   shall  dig  a  pit 

34  and  not  cover  it,  and  an  ox  or  an  ass  fall  therein,  the 
'owner'  of  the  pit  shall  make  it  good  ;  he  shall  give  money 
unto  the  '  owner '  of  them,  and  the  dead  [beast]  shall  be 
his. 

35  And  if  one  man's  ox  hurt  another's,  that  he  die  ;  then 
they  shall  sell  the   live  ox,  and   divide   the   price   of  it  ;  and 

36  the  dead  also  they  shall  divide.  Or  if  it  be  known  that  the 
ox  was  wont  to  gore  in  time  past,  and  his  '  owner  '  hath  not 
kept  him  in  ;  he  shall  surely  pay  ox  for  ox,  and  the  dead 
[beast]  shall  be  his  own. 

22  If  a  man  shall  steal  an  ox,  or  a  sheep,  and  kill  it,  or  sell 
it  ;  he  shall  pay  five  oxen  for  an  ox,  and  four  sheep  for  a 
sheep.     If  he   have  nothing,  then   he  shall  be   sold   for  his 

4  theft.  If  the  theft  be  found  in  his  hand  alive,  whether  it  be 
ox,    or    ass,    or  sheep  ;  he  shall    pay    double.     If    the    thief 

2  be  found    breaking   in,   and  be   smitten  that    he    die,    there 

3  shall  be  no  bloodguiltiness  for  him.  If  the  sun  be  risen 
upon  him,  there  shall  be  bloodguiltiness  for  him  :  he 
should  make  restitution. 

5  If  a  man  shall  cause  a  field  or  vineyard  to  be  eaten,  and 
shall  let  his  beast  loose,  and  it  feed  in  another  man's  field, 
he  shall  make  restitution  according  to  the  yield  thereof  from 
his  own  field  ;  but  if  it  eat  the  whole  crop,*  he  shall  make 
restitution  of  the  best  of  his  own  field,  and  of  the  best  of 
his  own  vineyard. 

*So  LXX. 


CIRC.  750  B.  C.  355 

If  fire  break  out,  and  catch  in  thorns,  so  that  the  shocks    6 
of  corn,  or  the  standing  corn,  or  the  field,  be  consumed  ;  he 
that  kindled  the  fire  shall  surely  make  restitution. 

If  a  man  shall  deliver  unto  his  neighbor  money  or  stuff  to    7 
keep,  and  it  be  stolen  out  of  the  man's  house  ;  if  the  thief  be 
found,  he  shall  pay  double.     If  the  thief  be  not  found,  then    8 
the  'master'   of  the  house  shall  'come   near  unto  God,'  [to 
determine  by  the   sacred  lot]  whether  he  have    not  put  his 
hand  unto  his  neighbor's  goods.     For  every  matter  of  tres-    9 
pass,  whether  it  be   for  ox,  for  ass,  for  sheep,  for  raiment, 
[or]  for  any  manner  of  lost  thing,  whereof  one  saith,  This  is 
it,  '  the  cause '  of  both  parties  shall  *  come  before  God  ; '  he 
whom  '  God  '  shall  condemn  [by    the   sacred   lot]    shall  pay 
double  unto  his  neighbor. 

If  a  man  deliver  unto  his  neighbor  an  ass,  or  an  ox,  or  a  10 
sheep,  or  any  beast,  to  keep  ;  and  it  die,  or  be  hurt,  or  driven 
away,  no  man  seeing  it  :  the  oath  of  God   shall   be    between  11 
them  both,  whether  he  hath  not  put  his  hand  unto  his  neigh- 
bor's goods  ;  and  if  the  '  owner  '  thereof  shall  accept  it,  he 
shall  not  make  restitution.     But  if  it  be  stolen  from  him,  he  12 
shall  make   restitution   unto  the  *  owner '  thereof.     If  it    be  13 
torn  in  pieces  [by  wild  beasts  and  he  can]  bring  it  for  wit- 
ness, he  shall  not  make  good  that  which  was  torn.     And  if  14 
a  man  borrow  [an  animal]  of  his  neighbor,  and  it  be  hurt,  or 
die,  the  '  owner  '  thereof  not   being  with  it,  he  shall  surely 
make   restitution.      If  the  'owner'   thereof  be  with   it,   he  15 
shall   not  make  it  good  :  if  it  be  an  hired  thing,  [the  loss]  is 
included  in  its  hire. 

And  if  a  man   entice   a  virgin   that  is  not  betrothed,  and  16 
lie  with  her,  he  shall  surely  pay  a  dowry   for   her   and  take 
her  to  wife.     If  her  father  utterly  refuse  to  give    her  unto  17 
him,  he  shall    pay  money  according   to    the    dowry    of  vir- 
gins. 

Thou  shalt  not  suffer  a  sorceress  to  live.  18 

Whosoever  lieth  with  a  beast  shall  surely  be  put  to  death.  19 

And  he  that  curseth  his  father,  or  his   mother,  shall  21 — 17 
surely  be  put  to  death. 


356      THE  EPHRAIMITE  rROPHETlC  DOCUMENT  E. 

22 — 20      He  that  sacrificeth  unto  any  god,  save   unto  Yahweh 
21  only,  shall  be  devoted.     And  a  stranger  shalt  thou  not  wrong, 

neither  shalt  thou  oppress  him  : 
25       If  thou  lend  money  to  any  of  my  people  with    thee  that  is 

poor,  thou  shalt  not  be  to  him  as  a  creditor  ;  neither  shall  ye 
zd  lay   upon   him    usury.     If   thou   at   all    take    thy    neighbor's 

garment  to  pledge,  thou  shalt  restore  it  unto  him  by  that  the 

sun  goeth  down  : 
28       Thou  shalt  not  blaspheme  '  God,'  nor  curse  a  ruler  of  thy 

people. 
23      Thou  shalt  not  take  up  a  false  report  :  put  not  thine  hand 

2  with  the  wicked  to  be  an  unrighteous  witness.  Thou  shalt 
not  follow  a    multitude  to    do  evil  ;  neither    shalt    thou  turn 

3  aside  after  a  multitude  to  wrest  judgment:  neither  shalt  thou 
favor  a  great  man*  in  his  suit. 

4  If  thou  meet  thine  enemy's  ox  or  his  ass  going  astray,  thou 

5  shalt  surely  bring  it  back  to  him  again.  If  thou  see  the  ass 
of  him  that  hateth  thee  lying  under  his  burden,  thou  shalt 
forbear  to  leave  him  in  the  lurch,  thou  shalt  surely  help  him 
to  release  it. 

6  Thou  shalt  not  wrest  the  judgment  of  thy  poor  in  his  suit. 

7  Keep  thee  far  from  a  false  matter  ;  and  the  innocent  and 
righteous  slay  thou  not  :  neither  shalt  thou  justify  the  wicked. 

8  And  thou  shalt  take  no  gift  :  for  a  gift  blindeth  them  that 
have  sight,  and  perverteth  a  righteous  cause. 

The  Stelae  of  the  Law,  and  the  Aetar  at  Ebal. 

Dt,    27 — I       And     Moses    commanded  '  the  elders   of    Israel," 

4  saying,  It  shall  be  when  ye  are  passed  over  Jordan  that  thou 
shalt  '  set   thee  up    great    stones  '  in  mount   Kbal    and  shalt 

5  whitewash  them  with  whitewash.  And  thou  shalt  '  build  there 
an  altar'  unto  Yahweh,  an  '  altar  of  stones  :  '  thou  shalt  '  lift 

6  up  no  iron  [tool]  upon  them.'  Thou  shalt  build  the  altar  of 
Yahweh   of  '  unhewn   stones':  and   thou    shalt  'ofter    Ijurnt 

7  offerings   thereon,  and    sacrifice   peace   offerings.'  and   shalt 

*  So  Kautzsch    (assuming  DI,  to  he  a  conuption  fioni  CDl.  ?). 


ciKC.  750  /;.  c.  357 

eat    there.     And    thou  shalt  write    upon    the    stones  all  the    8 
words  of  this  law  very  plainly. 

The  Charge  to  Joshua. 

And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Behold,  thy  days  Dt.  31 — 14 
approach    that    thou    must  die:  call  '  Joshua,' and  'present 
yourselves   in    the  Tent  of  Meeting,'  that  I   may  give  him  a 
charge.     And  Moses  and  Joshua  went,  and  '  presented  them- 
selves in  the  Tent  of    Meeting.'     'And  Yahweh  appeared   in  15 
the  Tent  in  a  pillar  of  cloud  :  and  the  pillar  of   cloud  stood 
over  the  door  of  the  Tent.'     And  he  gave  Joshua  the  son  of  23 
Nun  a  charge,  and  said,  Be  strong  and  of   a  good  courage  : 
for   thou   shalt   bring  the    children  of    Israel  into   the  land 
which  I  sware  unto  them  :  and  I  will  be  with  thee. 

Moses'  Death. 

So  Moses  'the  servant  of  Yahweh  '  died  there  in  the  Dt.  34 — 5 
land  of  Moab  :  but  no  man  knoweth  of   his    sepulchre    unto 
this  day.     And   there    hath   not    arisen  a  '  prophet '  since  in  10 
Israel  like  unto  Moses,  whom  Yahweh  knew  'face  to  face,' 


THE  PRIESTLY  LAW-BOOK  P^ 
CIRC.  450  B.  C. 

(THE)  EXODUS. 

Names  ok  Israel's  Sons.     Genealogy  of  Levi. 

1         Now  'these  are  the   names'  of  the   sons  of   Israel,   which 

2  came  into  Egypt  ;  '  every  man  and  his  household  '  came  with 

3  Jacob.     Reuben,  Simeon,  Levi,  and  Judah  ;  Issachar,  Zebu- 

4  lun,  and    Benjamin  ;     Dan    and   Naphtali,  Gad  and    Asher. 

5  And  all  the  '  souls'  that  came  out  of  the  'loins  '  of  Jacob 
were  seventy  '  souls  '  :  and  Joseph  was  in  Egypt  already. 

H — 16  And  '  these  are  the  names  '  of  the  sons  of  Levi  '  accord- 
ing to  their  generations'; 

Gershon,  and  Kohath,  and  Merari  : 

'  And  the  years  of  the  life  of  Levi  were  137  years.' 

17  'The  sons  of  '  Gershon  : 

Libni  and  Shimei,  according  to  their  families. 

18  'And    the    sons  of'    Kohath; 

Amram,  and  Izhar,  and  Hebron,  and  Uzziel  : 

'And  the  years  of  the  life  of  Kohath  were  133  years.* 

19  'And  the  sons  of  Merari  ;  Mahli  and  Mushi. 

'  These  are   the   families  '  of  the  Levites  '  according  to 
their  generations.' 

20  And  Amram  took  him  Jochebed  his  father's  sister  to 
wife  ;  and  she  bare  him  Aaron  and  Moses  :  '  and  the  years 
of  the  life  of  Amram  were  137  years.' 

21  'And  the  sons  of'  Izhar;  Korah,  and  Nepheg,  and 
Zichri. 

22  'And  the  sons  of'  Uzziel  ;  Mishael,  and  Elzaphan,  and 
Sithri. 

23  And  Aaron  took  him  Elisheba,  the  daughter  of  Ammnia- 
dab,  the  sister  of  Nahshon  to  wife  ;  and  she  bare  him  Nadab 
and  Abihu,  Eleazar  and  Ithamar. 

.3.59 


360  THE  PRIESTL  V  LA  IV- BOOK  FK 

24  'And  the  sons  of'  Korah  ;  Assir,  and  Elkanah,  and 
Abiasaph  ; 

'  These  are  the  famiUes  '  of  the  Korahites. 

25  And  Eleazar  Aaron's  son  took  him  one  of  the  daughters 
of  Putiel  to  wife  ;  and  she  bare  him  Phinehas. 

'  These  are    the  '  heads  of  the  fathers'  '  [houses]  of  the 
Levites  'according  to  their  families.' 

The  B(jxl)A(;e  of  Egypt.     Israel's  Cry  to  God. 

1 — 7  And  the  children  of  Israel  '  were  fruitful,  and  increased 
abundantly,  and  the  land  was  filled  '  with  them. 

13  And  the  Egyptians  made  the  children  of  Israel  to  'serve 

14  with  rigor  '  ;  and  '  made  their  lives  bitter  '  with  hard  bond- 
age, all  their  bond  service,  wherein  they  made  them  '  serve 
with  rigor,'  and  the  children  of  Israel  sighed  by  reason  of 
the  bondage,  and   they   cried,   and   their  cry  came   up  unto 

2 — 24  '  God  '  by  reason  of  the  bondage.  And  '  God  '  heard  their 
groaning,  and  '  God '  '  remembered  '  his  covenant  with  Abra-' 

25  ham,  with  Isaac,  and  with  Jacob.  And  '  God  '  saw  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  and  '  God  '  took  knowledge 

God's    Revelation    of    his    Name    Yahweh.     Moses   sent  to 
Deliver  Israel. 

(> — 2       And  'God  '  spake  unto  Moses,  and  said  unto   him,  I  am 

3  Yahweh  :  and  I  appeared  unto  .\braham,  unto  Isaac,  and 
unto  Jacob,  as  '  El  Shaddai  '  but  by  my  name  Yahweh  I  was 

4  not  known  to  them.  And  moreover  I  '  established  my 
covenant'  with  them,  to  give  them   the  land  of  Canaan,  the 

5  land  of  their  '  sojournings,'  wherein  they  'sojourned.'  And 
now  also  I  have  heard  the  groaning  of  the  children  of 
Israel,  whom  the   Egyptians  keep  in   bondage  ;    and  I  have 

6  '  remembered  my  covenant.'  Wherefore  say  unto  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  '  I  am  Yahweh,'  and  I  will  bring  you  out  from 
under  the  burdens  of  the  Egyptians,  and  I  will  rid  you  out 
of  their  bondage,  and  I  will  redeem  you  with  a  stretched  out 

7  arm,  and  with  great  'judgments'  :  and  1  will  take  you  to 
me  for  a  people,  and  I    will  be  to  you   a  God:   and  'ye  shall 


cVA'C.  450  />".   C.  361 

know  that  I  am  Vahweh  your  God,'  which  binngeth  you  out 
from  under  the  burdens  of  the  Egyptians.  And  1  will  bring  8 
you  in  unto  the  land,  concerning  which  I '  lifted  up  my  hand  ' 
to  give  It  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob  ;  and  I  will 
give  it  you  for  an  heritage  :  '  I  am  Yahweh.'  And  Moses  9 
spake  so  unto  the  children  of  Israel  :  but  they  hearkened 
not  unto  Moses  for  discouragement  and  for  cruel  bond- 
age. 

And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying.  Go  in,  speak  unto  10 
Pharaoh  knig  of  Egypt,  that  he  let  the  children  of  Israel  go  11 
out  of  his  land.     And  Moses  '  spake  before  '  Yahweh,  saying,  12 
Behold,  the  children  of  Israel  have  not  hearkened  unto  me  ; 
how  then   shall   Pharaoh  hear  me,  who  am  of  uncircumcised 
lips  ? 

Aaron    Appointed  Moses'  Prophet  to  Pharaoh. 

And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  See,  I   have  made  thee  a    7 
god  to  Pharaoh  :   and  Aaron  thy  brother  shall  be  thy  prophet. 
Thou  shalt  speak  all  that   I   command  thee  :  and  Aaron  thy    2 
brother  shall  speak  unto  Pharaoh,  that  he  let  the  children  of 
Israel  go  out  of  his  land.     And  I  will  make  Pharaoh's  heart    3 
'  strong '  and  multiply  my  signs  and  my  wonders  in  the  land 
of  Egypt.     But  Pharaoh   will  not   hearken   unto  you,  and  I    4 
will  lay  my  hand   upon   Egypt,  and  bring  forth  my  '  hosts,' 
my  people  the  children  of  Israel,  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt 
by  great  '  judgments.'     And  the  Egyptians  '  shall  know  that    5 
I  am  Yahweh,'  when  I  stretch  forth  mine  hand  upon  Egypt, 
and  bring  out  the  children  of  Israel  from  among  them.     And    C 
Moses  and  Aaron  did  so  ;  '  as  Yahweh  commanded  them,  so 
did  they.'     '  And  Moses  was  fourscore  years  old,  and  Aaron    7 
fourscore    and    three    years   old,'    when    they    spake    unto 
Pharaoh. 

The  Wonders  of  Egypt.    First  Wonder.  Aaron's  rod  Turned 
TO  A  Repiile. 

And   Yahweh  spake  unto   Moses  and  unto  Aaron,  saying,    8 
When  Pharaoh  shall  speak  unto  you,  saying.  Shew  a  wonder    9 


362  THE  PRIESTLY  LAW-BOOK  P'. 

for  you  :  then  '  thou  shalt  say  unto  Aaron,  Take  thy  rod,' 
and  cast  it  down  before  Pharaoh,  that  it  become  a  '  reptile  ' 

10  (^Heb.  tannin,  any  large  reptile  ;  and  so  in  vv.  lo,  12).  And 
Moses  and  Aaron  went  in  unto  Pharaoh,  '  and  they  did  so, 
as  Yahweh  had  commanded  '  :  and  Aaron  cast  down  his  rod 
before  Pharaoh  and  before  his  servants,   and   it   became   a 

11  'reptile.'  'Then  Pharaoh  also  called  for  the  wise  men  and 
the  sorcerers  :  '  and  they  also,  '  the  magicians  '  of  Egypt,  did 

12  in  like  manner  with  their  'enchantments.'  For  they  cast 
down  every  man   his  rod,  and  they  became  '  reptiles  '  :  but 

13  Aaron's  rod  swallowed  up  their  rods.  And  Pharaoh's  heart 
was  '  strong,'  '  and  he  hearkened  not  unto  them  ;  as  Yahweh 
had  spoken.' 

Second  Wonder.    The  Waters  of  Egypt  Turned  to    Blood. 

19  'And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron,  Take  thy 
rod,  and  stretch  out  thine  hand  over  the  waters  of  Egypt, 
'  over  their  rivers,  over  their  canals,  and  over  their  pools, 
and  over  all  their  ponds  of  water,'  that  they  may  become 
blood  ;  and  there  shall  be  blood  throughout  all  the  land  of 
Egypt,  both    in    vessels    of    wood  and  in  vessels  of  stone. 

20  '  And  Moses  and   Aaron  did   so,  as  Yahweh   commanded  '  ; 
22  and  the  blood  was  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt.     '  And 

the  magicians  of  Egypt  did  in  like  manner  with  their 
enchantments':  'and  Pharaoh's  heart  was  strong,  and  he 
hearkened  not  unto  them  ;   as  Yahweh  had  spoken.' 

Third  Wonder.     Frogs. 

8 — 5  '  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron,  Stretch 
forth  thine  hand  with  thy  rod  '  '  over  the  rivers,  over  the 
canals,  and  over  the  pools,'  and  cause  frogs  to  come  up  upon 

6  the  land  of  F^gypt.  And  .\aron  stretched  out  his  hand  over 
the  waters  of   Egypt  ;  and  the  frogs  came   up,  and  covered 

7  the  land  of  Egypt.  '  Ant!  the  magicians  did  in  like  manner 
with  their  enchantments,"  and  brought  up  frogs  upon  the 
land  of  l\gypt.  '  P)Ut  Pharaoh's  heart  was  strong  and  he 
hearkened  not  unto  ihcni  ;   as  N'ahweh  had  si^okeii.' 


CIRC.  450  />'.  C.  363 

Fourth  Wonder.    The  Sand  Turned  to  Lice. 

'  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Say  unto  Aaron,  Stretch  out  16 
thy  rod,'  and  smite  the  dust  of  the  earth,  that  it  may  become 
sand-flies,  throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt.     'And  they  did  17 
so  ; '  and  Aaron  stretched  out  his  hand   with   his  rod,  and 
smote  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  there  were  sand-flies  upon 
man,  and  upon    beast  ;  all  the  dust  of   the  earth   became 
sand-flies  throughout    all  the    land   of    Egypt.     '  And    the  18 
magicians  did  so  with   their   enchantments'  to  bring  forth 
sand-flies,   but   they  could   not  :  and   there    were    sand-flies 
upon    man,   and   upon    beast.     Then   '  the    magicians '    said  19 
unto   Pharaoh,  This  is  the  finger  of  God  :  '  and   Pharaoh's 
heart   was   strong,  and    he    hearkened    not  unto  them  ;  as 
Yahweh  had  spoken.' 

Fifth  Wonder.    Soot  Producing  Boils.    The  Magicians  Flee. 

'  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron,'  Take  to  9 — 8 
you  handfuls  of  soot  of  the  furnace,  and  let   Moses  sprinkle 
it  toward  the  heaven  in  the  sight  of  Pharaoh.     And  it  shall    9 
become  small  dust  over  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  shall   be 
a  boil  breaking  forth  with  blains  upon  man  and  upon  beast, 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt.     And  they  took  soot  of  the  10 
furnace,  and  stood  before  Pharaoh  ;  and  Moses  sprinkled  it 
up   toward  heaven  ;  and   it   became   a  boil    breaking   forth 
with  blains  upon  man  and  upon  beast.     And  '  the  magicians  '  n 
could  not  stand  before  Moses  because  of  the  boils  ;  for  the 
boils  were  upon  'the  magicians,'  and  upon  all  the  Egyptians. 
'And   Yahweh  made  the  heart   of   Pharaoh  strong  and   he  12 
hearkened    not  unto    them  ;  as  Yahweh    had    spoken    unto 
Moses.' 

Preparations   for   the    Final    Stroke.    The    Law  for    the 
Feast  of  Passover 

'And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron'  in  the  land  12 
of  Egypt,  saying.  This  month  shall  be  unto  you  the  begin-  2 
ning  of  months  :  it   shall  be  the  '  first  month  '  of  the  year 


364  THE  PRIESTL  Y  LA  W-BOOK  PK 

3  to  you.  Speak  ye  unto  '  all  the  congregation  of  Israel,'  say- 
ing, In  the  'tenth'  [day]  of  this  month  they  shall  take  to 
them  every  man  a  lamb,  '  accordmg  to  their  fathers'  houses,' 

4  a  lamb  for  an  household  :  and  if  the  household  be  too  little 
for  a  lamb,  then  shall  he  and  his  neighbor  next  unto  his 
house  take  one  '  according  to  the  number  of  the  souls  ; ' 
'  according  to  every  man's  eating  '  ye  shall  make  your  count 

5  for  the  lamb.  Your  lamb  shall  be  without  blemish,  '  a  male  ' 
of  the  first  year  :  ye  shall  take  it   from   the  sheep,  or  from 

6  the  goats  :  and  ye  shall  fatten  it  until  '  the  fourteenth  day  ' 
of  the  same  month  :  and   '  the    whole  assembly  of  the  con- 

7  gregation  of  Israel  '  shall  kill  it  at  even.  And  they  shall 
take  of  the  blood,  and  put  it  on  the  two  side  posts  and   on 

8  the  lintel,  upon  the  houses  wherein  they  shall  eat  it.  And 
they  shall  eat  the  flesh  in  that  night,  roast  with  fire,  and  un- 

9  leavened  bread  ;  with  bitter  herbs  they  shall  eat  it.  Eat  not 
of  it  raw,  nor  sodden  at  all  with  water,  but  roast  with  fire  ; 
its  head  with  its  legs  and  with  the  inwards  thereof  together. 

10  And  ye  shall  let  nothing  of  it  remain  until  the  morning  ; 
but  that  which   remaineth  of  it    until   the   mornmg  ye  shall 

11  burn  with  fire.  And  thus  shall  ye  eat  it;  with  your  loins 
girded,  your  shoes  on  your  feet,  and  your  staff  in  your  hand  : 

12  and  ye  shall  eat  it  in  haste  :  it  is  Vahweh's  passover.  For 
I  will  go  through  the  land  of  Egypt  in  that  night,  and  will 
smite  all  the  firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  both  man  and 
beast ;  and  against   all  the  gods   of   Egypt  I   will  '  execute 

13  judgments '  :  'I  am  Yahweh.'  And  the  blood  shall  be  to 
you  for  a  token  upon  the  houses  where  ye  are  :  and  when  1 
see  the  blood,  I  will  "  j^ass  over  "  {pasac/i)  you,  and  there 
shall  no  plague  be  upon   you  for  a   destroyer,  when   I  smite 

14  the  land  of  Egypt.  '  And  this  day  shall  be  unto  you  for  a 
memorial,  and  ye  shall  keep  it  a  feast  to  Yahweh  '  :  '  through- 
out your  generations   ye  shall  keep  it  a  feast  by  an  ordi- 

15  nance  for  ever.'  Seven  days  shall  ve  eat  unleavened  bread  : 
even  the  first  day  ye  shall  put  away  leaven  out  of  your 
houses  :  for  whosoever  eateth  leavened  bread  from  the  first 
(lav  until  the  scvontli   (lav,  'that   soul   shall   be  cut   off   from 


C/RC.  450  /)'.  c'.  365 

Israel.'     And  in  the  first  day  there  shall   be  to  you  'an  holy  16 
convocation,"  and  in  the  seventh  day  '  an  holy  convocation  '  , 
no  manner  of  work  shall  be   done   m  them,  save  that  which 
every  man  must  eat,  that  only  may  be  done  of  you. 

The  Law  for  the  Feast  of  Unleavened  Cakes. 

And   ye   shall   observe   the   [ordinance  as  to]  unleavened  17 
cakes  ;  for   in   '  this   self-same    day  '    have    I    brought   your 
'  hosts  '   out   of  the   land   of  Egypt  :  therefore  shall  ye  '  ob- 
serve this  day  throughout  your  generations  by  an  ordinance 
forever.'     In  the  'first'  [month],  on  the   fourteenth  day  of  18 
the  month  at  even,  ye  shall  eat  unleavened  cakes,  until   the 
one  and   twentieth   day  of   the  month  at  even.     Seven  days  19 
shall  there  be  no  leaven  found   in   your   houses  :   for  whoso- 
ever eateth  that  which  is  leavened,  '  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off 
from  the  congregatu)n  of  Israel,'  whether  he  be  a  sojourner, 
or  one  that  is  born  m  the  iand.     Ye   shall   eat   nothing  leav-  20 
ened  ;  m  all  your  habitations  shall  ye  eat  unleavened  cakes. 

And  the  children  of  Israel  '  went  and  did  so  ;  as  Yahweh  28 
had  commanded  Moses  and  Aaron,  so  did  they.' 

Yahweh  Smites  the  Firstborn  of  E(;ypt.    The   Law  of  the 
Firstborn,  and  the  Exodus. 

[And  Yahweh  passed  through  the  land  of  Egypt  (Vv.  i2f.) 
that  night  ^nd  smote  all  the  firstborn  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 
both  man  and  beast  ;  and  against  all  the  gods  of  Egypt  he 
executed  judgments  ;  but  he  passed  over  the  houses  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  where  the  blood  was  placed  for  a  token. 
And  on  the  morrow  the  whole  congregation  of  (Num.  '^^ — 3f. ) 
the  children  of  Israel  went  forth  by  their  hosts.  On  the 
fifteentli  day  of  the  first  month,  they  journeyed  from  the 
land  of  Rameses  and  encamped  in  Succoth  ;  on  the  morrow 
after  the  passover  the  children  of  Israel  went  out  with  an 
high  hand  in  the  sight  of  all  the  Egyptians,  while  the  Egyp- 
tians were  burying  all  their  firstborn  which  Yahweh  had 
smitten  among  them]. 

And  Yahweh   spake   unto   Moses,  saying,  'Sanctify   unto  13 


366  THE  PRIESTLY  LAW  BOOK  F\ 

2  me  '  all  the  firstborn,  whatsoever  openeth  the  womb  among 
the  children  of  Israel,  both  of  man  and  of  beast  :  it  is  mine. 

12 — 40  Now  the  '  sojourning  '  of  the  children  of  Israel,  which 
they  '  sojourned '  in   Egypt,   was  four    hundred  and    thirty 

41  years.  So  it  came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  four  hundred  and 
thirty  years,  'even  the  self-same  day'  it  came  to  pass,  that 
all  the  '  hosts  of  Yahweh  '  went  out  from  the  land  of   Egypt. 

The  Ordinance  of  the  Passover. 

43  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses  and  Aaron,  '  This  is  the  or- 
dinance '  of  the  passover  :  there   shall  no  alien  eat  thereof : 

44  but  every  man's  servant   that  is  bought  for  money,   when 

45  thou  hast  circumcised  him,  then  shall  he  eat  thereof.     A  so- 

46  journer  and  an  hired  servant  shall  not  eat  thereof.  In  one 
house  shall  it  be  eaten  ;  thou  shalt  not  carry  forth  aught  of 
the  flesh  abroad  out  of  the  house  ;  neither  shall  ye  break  a 

47  bone  thereof.     '  All   the  congregation  of   Israel  '  shall  keep 

48  it.  And  when  a  stranger  shall  sojourn  with  thee,  and  will 
keep  the  passover  to  Yahweh,  let  all  his  '  males  '  be  circum- 
cised, and  then  let  him  come  near  and  keep  it  ;  and  he  shall  be 
as  one  that  is  born  in  the  land  :  but  no  uncircumcised  person 

49  shall  eat  thereof.  '  One  law  shall  be  to  him  that  is  home- 
born,  and   unto  the  stranger  that  sojourneth   among  you.' 

50  '  Thus    did    all    the    children   of    Israel  ;    as  Yahweh    com- 

51  manded  Moses  and  Aaron,  so  did  they.'  And  it  came  to 
pass  the  '  self-same  day,'  that  Yahweh  did  bring  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  *by  their  hosts.' 

The  Crossing  of  i-he  Red  Sea. 

13 — 20      '  And  they  took  their  journey  from  Succoth  and    en- 
camped in  Etham,'  in  the  edge  of  the  wilderness. 
14      'And  Yahweh  spake   unto  Moses,  saying,  Speak  unto  the 
2  children  of  Israel,  that  they'  turn  back  and  encamp  before 
Pi-hahiroth,    between    Migdol    and    the    sea,    before    Baal- 
4  zephon  :  over  against  it  shall  ye  encamp  by  the  sea.     And 
I  will  'make'  Pharaoh's  heart  'strong'  and   he   shall   follow 
after  them  ;  and  I  will  'get  me   honor'   upon   Pharaoh,  and 


CIRC.  450  />'.  C  367 

upon  all  his  '  host  '  ;  and  '  the  Egyptians  shall  know  that  I 
am  Yahweh.'  '  And  they  did  so.'  And  Yahweh  '  made  '  the  8 
heart  of  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt  '  strong  '  and  he  pursued 
after  the  children  of  Israel  :  while  the  children  of  Israel 
went  out  '  defiant.'  So  the  Egyptians  pursued  after  them,  9 
'  all  the  horses  [and]  chariots  of  Pharaoh,  and  his  horsemen, 
and  his  army,'  and  overtook  them  encamping  by  the  sea, 
beside  Pi-hahiroth,  before  Baal-zephon. 

'And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Speak   unto   the   children  15 
of  Israel,   that  they'   go    forward.     And    stretch  out  thine  16 
hand  over  the  sea,  and  divide  it  :  and  the  children  of  Israel 
shall  go  into  the  midst  of    the  sea  on  dry  ground.     'And  I,  17 
lo,  I  will  make  the  hearts  '  of  the  Egyptians  '  strong,'  and  they 
shall    go    in    after    them  :  and  I   will  '  get  me  honor  upon  ' 
Pharaoh,  and  upon  all  his  host,  upon  his  chariots,   and  upon 
his  horsemen.     kwtX   the    Egyptians    'shall  know  that  I  am  18 
Yahweh,'  when    I    have    '  gotten    me  honor   upon  '  Pharaoh, 
upon    his    chariots,    and    upon    his    horsemen.       So    Moses  21 
stretched  out  his   hand  over  the  sea,  and    the  waters  were 
divided.     And  the  children  of  Israel  went  into  the  midst  of  22 
the  sea  upon  the  dry  ground  :  '  and   the   waters   were  a  wall 
unto  them  on  their  right  hand,  and  on  their  left.'     And  the  23 
Egyptians  pursued,  and  went  in  after  them  into  the  midst  of 
the  sea,  '  all  Pharaoh's  horses,  his   chariots,   and   his    horse- 
men.' 

And  Yahweh   said   unto   Moses,    Stretch   out  thine    hand  26 
over  the  sea,  that  the  waters  may  come  again  upon  the  Egyp- 
tians, '  upon  their  chariots,  and  upon    their    horsemen.'     So  27 
Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  over  the  sea,  and  the  waters  28 
returned,  and  covered  the  chariots,  and  the  horsemen,  even 
all  'the  host  '  of  Pharaoh  that  went  in  after  them  into   the 
sea  ;  But  the  children  of   Israel  walked  upon  dry  land  in  the  29 
midst  of  the  sea  ;  'and  the  waters  were  a  wall  unto  them  on 
their  right  hand,  and  on  their  left.' 

The  Wii.dernkss  of  Six.     From  the  Red  Se.\  to  Sinai. 

So  they  journeyed   from  the  [Red   Sea],  and   '  all   the  16 — i 


368  THE  PRIESTL  Y  LA  W-BOOK  F-. 

congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel  '  came  unto  the  wil- 
derness of  Sin,  'on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  second  month  ' 
after  their  departing  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 

17  'And  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel  jour- 
neyed from  the  wilderness  of  Sin,  by  their  stages,  according 
to  the  commandment  of  Yahweh,'  and  pitched  in  Rephidim, 

11) — 2b  '  And  they  journeyed  from  Rephidim  and  pitched  in  the 
wilderness  of  Sinai.'  *  In  the  third  month  after  the  children 
of  Israel  were  gone  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  the  same 
day  came  they  into  the  wilderness  of  Sinai.' 

The  Ten  Words  of  the  Testimony. 

(15 — 16)  [And  the  glory  of  Yahweh  appeared  upon  mount 
Sinai  in  a  thick  cloud,  and  Yahweh  spake  out  of  the  cloud 
these  words  in  the  hearing  of  all  the  people. 

I  am  Yahweh  thy  God,  which  brought  thee  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage. 

Thou  shalt  have  none  other  Gods  before  me.  Thou  shalt 
not  make  unto  thee  a  graven  image  nor  the  likeness  of  any 
form  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  that  is  in  the  earth  beneath, 
or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the  earth  :  thou  shalt  not  bow 
down  thyself  unto  them,  nor  serve  them  :  for  I  Yahweh  thy 
God  am  a  jealous  God,  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers 
upon  the  children,  upon  the  third  and  upon  the  fourth  gen- 
eration of  them  that  hate  me  ;  and  showing  mercy  unto 
thousands  of  generations,  of  them  that  love  me  and  keep 
my  commandments. 

Thou  shalt  not  invoke  the  name  of  Yahweh  thy  God  upon 
a  falsehood  ;  for  Yahweh  will  nt)t  hold  him  guiltless  that 
invoketh  his  name  upon  a  falsehood. 

Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  sanctify  it.  Six  days  shalt 
thou  labor,  and  do  all  thy  work  :  but  the  seventli  day  is  a 
sabbath  unto  Yahweh  thy  God  :  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any 
work,  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy  manservant, 
nor  thy  maidservant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor  thy  stranger  that  is 
2o — II  within  thy  gates]  :  for  in  si.x  days  Yahweh  made  heaven 
and  earth,  the   sea,  and   all    that  in   them   is,  and   rested  the 


CIRC.  450  B.  C.  369 

seventh  day  :  wherefore  Yahweh  blessed  the  sabbath  day, 
and  '  sanctified  it.' 

[Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother  that  thy  days  may  be 
long  upon  the  land  which  Yahweh  thy  God  giveth  thee. 

Thou  shalt  do  no  murder. 

Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery. 

Thou  shalt  not  steal. 

Thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness  against  thy  neighbor. 

Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  house,  thou  shalt  not 
covet  thy  neighbor's  wife,  nor  his  manservant,  nor  his  maid- 
servant, nor  his  ox,  nor  his  ass,  nor  anything  that  is  thy 
neighbor's]. 

Moses  on  Mount  Sinai.    The  Tables  of  the  Testimony 
AND    Pattern  of  the  Tabernacle. 

[And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Come  up  unto  me  into  the 
mount  and  I  will  give  thee  the  tables  of  stone  which  I  have 
prepared    for  a  testimony  unto  the  people,  and    will  show 
thee  the  pattern  of  the  sanctuary  which  ye  shall  build  me]. 
So  Moses  went  up  into  the  mount.     Now  the  cloud  had  24 — 15 
covered  the  mount  and  the  '  Glory  of  Yahweh  '  abode  upon  16 
mount  Sinai,  and  the  cloud  covered  it  six  days  :  and  the  sev- 
enth day  he  called  unto  Moses  out  of  the  midst  of  the  cloud. 
And    the  appearance    of  the    '  Glory  of   Yahweh  '  was  like  17 
devouring  fire  on  the  top  of  the    mount  in   the  eyes  of  the 
children  of  Israel.     And    Moses    entered    into  the  midst  of  18 
the  cloud. 


In  chapters  x.xv.-xxvii.  follows  an  elaborate  specification  of  the  tabernacle 
and  its  furniture  in  detail,  which  Moses  is  directed  to  construct.  In  chapters 
xxviii  f.  an  equally  elaborate  description  of  the  garments  and  other  preparations 
and  paraphernalia  required  for  inducting  Aaron  and  his  sons  into  the  priest- 
hood. Chapter  xxx.  gives  directions  for  the  altar  of  incense,  the  half-shekel 
poll-tax  for  the  sanctuary,  the  brazen  laver,  the  holy  oil  and  incense.  Chapter 
xxxi.  1-17  appoints  the  workmen  for  the  construction,  and  enjoins  strict 
observance  of  the  Sabbath.  We  resume  the  story  where  the  interview  of  Moses 
on  the  mount  is  at  an  end. 


370  THE  PRIFSTL  V  LA  W-BOOK  P": 

31 — 1 8  So  he  gave  unto  Moses,  when  he  had  made  an  end 
of  talking  with  him  upon  mount  Sinai,   the    two  *  tables    of 

33 — 15  the  testimony  '  ;  and  Moses  turned,  and  went  down  from 
the  mount  with  the  two 'tables  of  the  testimony'  in  his 
hand,  tables  that  were  written  on  both  their  sides  ;  on  the 
one  side  and  on  the  other  were  they  written. 


In  chapters  xxxiv.  29-xl.,  the  entire  book  of  Leviticus,  and  the  first  ten 
chapters  of  Numbers,  follows  the  nucleus  of  the  Priestly  Lawbook,  relating 
how  upon  Moses'  descent  from  Sinai  the  Tables  of  the  Testimony  were 
deposited  in  the  Ark,  and  how  the  Tabernacle  was  erected  rjid  dedicated,  and 
its  service  inaugurated  as  prescribed  by  Yahweho  Then  follows  the  funda- 
mental priestly  and  ceremonial  law  (Pi),  incorporated  in  P-,  which  forms  the 
kernel  of  Leviticus.  The  opening  chapters  of  Numbers  are  occupied  with  the 
census,  appointment  of  the  Levites  and  their  duties  ;  chapters  v.  and  vi.,  with 
miscellaneous  Levitical  laws  (uncleanness,  guilt  offerings,  ordeal  of  the  water 
of  jealousy,  nazirite  vows,  Aaronic  benediction)  devoid  of  connection  with  the 
narrative;  chapter  vii.  with  the  dedication  gifts  of  the  12  princes  (all  exactly 
alike),  chapter  viii.,  with  the  making  and  lighting  of  the  candlestick,  and 
Aaron's  wave-offering  of  the  22,000  Levites.  Chapter  ix.  gives  a  supplement- 
ary Passover  ordinance  and  prescription  of  the  order  of  march  according  to 
the  sign  of  the  cloud  and  Glory.     Ch.  x.  i-io  provides  for  silver  trumpets. 


NUMBERS.    (Heb.  "  In  the  Wilderness.") 
Departure  from  Sinai.    The  Wilderness  of  Paran. 

10 — II  And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  '  second  year,'  in  the  '  sec- 
ond month,'  on  the  '■  twentieth  day  of  the  month,'  that  the 
cloud  was  taken  up  from  over  the  '  Tabernacle  of  the  Testi- 

12  mony.'  And  the  children  of  Israel  set  forward  'according 
to  their  journeys '  out  of   the  wilderness   of    Sinai ;  and  the 

12 — i6b  cloud  abode  in  the  wilderness  of  Paran.  'So  they 
pitched  in  the  wilderness'  of  Paran. 

Manna  and  Quails. 

Ex.  16 — 2  And  *  the  whole  congregation  of  the  children  of 
Israel '  'murmured  against   Moses  and  against  Aaron  in  the 


CIRC.  450  B.  C.  371 

wilderness    :  and   the  children  of  Israel    said     unto    them,    3 
*  Would  that  we  had  died  by  the    hand    of   Yahweh  '  in   the 
land  of  Egypt,  when  we  sat  by  the  flesh   pots,  when   we  did 
eat  bread  to  the  full  ;  for  ye  have  brought  us  forth  into  this 
wilderness,     to   kill    this   '  whole    assembly  '    with    hunger. 
'And  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  Say  unto  all  the  congregation    9 
of  the  children  of  Israel,'  Come  near   before  Yahweh,  for  he 
hath  heard  your  '  murmurings.'     And   it  came  to   pass,   as  10 
'  Aaron  spake  unto  the  whole  congregation    of  the  children 
of  Israel,'  that  they  looked  toward  the  tabernacle,  and,  be- 
hold,   'the  Glory  of  Yahweh  appeared  in  the  cloud.'     And  11 
Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  I  have  heard   the  '  mur-  12 
murings  'of  the  children  of  Israel  ;  speak  unto  them,  saying, 
At  even  ye  shall  eat  flesh,  and  in  the  morning  ye  shall  be  filled 
with  bread  ;  '  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Yahweh  your  God.' 

And  '  Moses  and  Aaron  said  unto  all  the  children  of  Israel,'    6 
At  even,  then   ye  shall  know  that  Yahweh  hath  brought  you 
out    from   the    land  of  Egypt :  and  in  the  morning,  then  ye    7 
shall  see   the  glory  of  Yahweh  ;  for  that    he   heareth  your 
murmurings  against  Yahweh, and  'what  are  we^  that  ye  mur- 
mur against   us?'     And  it  came  to   pass  at  even,  that  the  13 
quails  came  up,  and  covered  the  camp  :  and  in  the  mornmg 
the  dew  lay   round  about  the  camp.     And  when  the  dew  14 
that   lay    was   gone  up,  behold,  upon  the  face  of  the  wilder- 
ness a   small  flake,  small  as  the  hoar  frost   on  the    ground. 
And  Moses  said  unto  them  It  is    the  bread    which  Yahweh  15 
hath  given  you  to  eat ;  an  omer  a    'head,'    'according  to  i6(^ 
the  number  of  your  persons,'  shall  ye  take  it,  every    man  for 
them  which  are  in  his  tent.     And  the  house  of  Israel  called  31 
the  name  thereof  Manna  (Heb.  man)  :   and  it  was   like  cor- 
iander seed,  white  ;  and   the    taste  of  it   was    like    wafers 
[made]  with  honey.     And  the  children  of  Israel  did  eat  the  35 
manna  forty  years,  until  they  came  to  a  land  inhabited. 

The  Story  of  the  Spies. 

And   Yahweh  spake  unto   Moses,  saying.  Send  thou  men,  13 
that  they  may  '  spy  '  out  the  land   of   Canaan,  which   I  give    2 


372  THE  PRIESTL  Y  LA  IV-BOOK  P\ 

unto  the  children  of  Israel  :  of  every  '  tribe  of  their  fathers  ' 

3  shall  ye  send  a  man,  every  one  a  '  prince  '  among  them.  And 
Moses  sent  them  from  the  '  wilderness  of  Paran  '  '  according 
to  the  commandment  of  Yahweh:'  all  of  them  men  who  were 

4  '■  heads  of  the  children  of  Israel.'  And  '  these  were  their 
names  '  : 

Of  the  tribe  of  Reuben,  Shammua  the  son  of  Zaccur. 

5  Of  the  tribe  of  Simeon,  Shaphat  the  son  of  Hori. 

6  Of  the  tribe  of  Judah,  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh. 

7  Of  the  tribe  of  Issachar,  Igal  the  son  of  Joseph. 

8  Of  the  tribe  of  Ephraim,  Hoshea  the  son  of  Nun. 

9  Of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  Palti  the  son  of  Raphu. 

10  Of  the  tribe  of  Zebulun,  Gaddiel  the  son  of  Sodi. 

11  Of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  Gaddi  the  son  of  Susi. 

12  Of  the  tribe  of  Dan,  Ammiel  the  son  of  Gemalli. 

13  Of  the  tribe  of  Asher,  Sethur  the  son  of  Michael. 

14  Of  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  Nahbi  the  son  of  Vophsi. 

15  Of  the  tribe  of  Gad,  Geuel  the  son  of  Machi. 

16  'These  are  the  names  '  of  the  men  which  Moses  sent  to 
'  spy  '  out  the  land.     And   Moses   called    Hoshea   the  son  of 

17  Nun  Joshua.     And  Moses  sent  them  to  '  spy  '  out  the  land  of 
21  Canaan.     So    they    went  up,  and  'spied  '  out  the  land  from 

the  wilderness  of  Zin  unto  Rehob,  to  the  entering  in  of  Ha- 

25  math.     And  they  returned  from  '  spying '  out  the  land  at  the 

26  end  of  forty  days.  And  they  went  and  came  '  to  Moses,  and 
to  Aaron,  and  to  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of  Is- 
rael,' unto  '  the  wilderness  of  Paran,'  and  brought  back  word 

32  unto  them,  and  unto  '  all  the  congregation.'  And  they 
brought  uj)  an  '  evil  report'  of  the  land  which  they  had 
'spied'  out  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  saying.  The  land, 
through  which  we  have  gone  to  '  spy  '  it  out,  is  a  land  that 
[for  barrenness]  eateth  uj)  the  inhabitants  thereof; 

RKI!K[.I,I()N    ok     IHR    PEOIM.P:    at    THK    SIMKS'    Rl'.l'ORT.      CONDEMNA- 

iioN    ro  FoRi'v  Years  of  Wan'dkrinc. 

14  And  'all  the  congregation  murmured  against  Moses  and 
against   Aaron:'   and  '  the   whole   congregation'    said  unto 


CINC.  450  B.  C.  373 

them,  'Would  God  that  we  had  died  in  the  land  of    Egypt'  ! 
or  'Would  God  we    had  died  in    this    wilderness  !  '     'Then    5 
Moses  and  Aaron   fell  on  their  faces  before  all  the  assembly 
of  the  congregation  of  the  children  of   Israel.'     And  Joshua    6 
the  son  of  Nun  and  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  which  were    7 
of   them    that  '  spied  '  out  the  land,  rent  their  clothes  :  and 
they  spake  unto  '  all    the    congregation   of  the  children   of 
Israel,'  saying,  The  land,  which  we  passed  through  to  '  spy  ' 
it  out,  is  an  exceeding   good  land.     But  'all   the   congrega-  10 
tion  '  bade  stone  them  with  stones.     '  And  the  Glory  of  Yah- 
weh  appeared  in  the  Tent  of  Meeting  unto  all  the  children  of 
Israel.' 

'And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron,'  saying,  26 
How  long  [shall  I  bear]  with  this  evil  '  congregation,'  which  27 
'  murmur  '  against  me  ?     *  I    have    heard  the  murmurings  of 
the  children  of  Israel,  which  they  murmur  against  me.'     Say  28 
unto  them,  As  I  live,  saith  Yahweh,  surely  as  ye  have  spoken 
in  mine  ears,  so  will  I  do  to  you  ;  your  carcases  shall  fall  'in  29 
this  wilderness  '  ;  and  all  that  were  numbered  of  you,  accord- 
ing to  your  whole    number,  '  from  twenty  years  old  and  up- 
ward,' which  have  '  murmured  '  against  me,  surely  ye    shall  30 
not  come    into   the  land,  concerning  which  '  I    lifted  up  my 
hand  '  that  I  would  make  you  dwell  therein,  save  Caleb  the 
son  of  Jephunneh,  and  Joshua   the    son  of  Nun.     After  the  34 
number  of  the    days  in  which  ye  '  spied  '  out    the  land,  even 
forty  days,  for    every  day  a  year,  shall    ye  '  bear  your  iniqui- 
ties,' even  forty  years,  and  ye  shall  know  what  the  revoking  of 
my  promise  is.     '  I  Yahweh  have  spoken,'  surely  this  will  I  35 
do  unto  all  this  '  evil  congregation,'  that  are  gathered  together 
against  me  :   in  this  wilderness  they  shall  be   consumed,  and 
there   they  shall    die.     And    the  men,  which   Moses   sent  to  36 
'  spy  '  out  the  land,  who  returned,  and  made  '  all  the  congrega- 
tion '  to  murmur  against  him,  by  bringing  up  an  '  evil  report ' 
against  the  land,  even  those  men  that  did    bring  up  an  '  evil  37 
report '  of   the  land,  died    by  '  the   plague  '  before    Yahweh. 
But  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  and  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  38 
remained  alive  of  those  men  that  went  to  '  spy  '  out  the  land. 


374  THE  PRIESTL  V  LA  W-BOOK  P^. 

The  Mutiny  of  Korah.     An  Attack  upon  the  Exclusiveness 
OF  THE  Priesthood. 

16 — 1-2  Now  Korah  the  son  of  [  .  .  .  ]  took  two  hundred  and 
fifty  'princes  of  the  congregation,'  'called    to  the  assembly' 

3  and  they  '  assembled  themselves  together  against  Moses  and 
against  Aaron,'  and  said  unto  them,  Ye  take  too  much  upon 
you,  seeing  'all  the  congregation  '  are  'holy,'  every  one  of 
them  :  wherefore  then    lift  ye  up   yourselves   above  *  the  as- 

8  sembly  of  Yahweh  '  ?  ye  take  too  much  upon  you,  ye  sons  of 

4  Levi.     And  when  Moses  heard  it,  he  '  fell  upon    his  face  '  : 

5  and  he  spake  unto  Korah  and  unto  all  his  '  company,'  saying, 
In  the  morning  Yahweh  will  shew  who  are  his,  and  who  is 
'  holy,'  and  will  cause  him  to  come  near  unto  him  :  even  him 
whom  he  shall  choose  will  he  cause  to  come  near  unto  him. 

6  This  do  ;  take  you  '  censers,'  Korah,  and  all  his  'company  ' ; 

7  and  put  fire  therein,  and  put  '  incense  '  upon  them  before  Yah- 
weh to-morrow  :  and  it  shall  be  that  the  man  whom  Yahweh 

i8  doth  choose,  he  [shall  be]  '  holy  '  :  So  they  took  every  man 
his  'censer,'  and  put  fire  in  them,  and  laid  incense  thereon, 
and  stood  at  the  door  of  the    Tent  of  Meeting  with  '  Moses 

19  and  Aaron.'  And  Korah  '  assembled  all  the  congregation' 
against  them  unto  the  door  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting  :  '  and 
the  Glory  of  Yahweh  appeared  unto  all  the  congregation.' 

20  '  And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses  and  unto  Aaron,'  saying, 

21  'Separate  yourselves  from    among  this  congregation,  that  I 

22  may  consume  them  in  a  moment.'  *  And  they  fell  upon  their 
faces,'  and  said,  O  God,  the  '  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,' 
shall  one  man  sin,  and  wilt  thou  be  wroth  with  '  all  the  con- 

23  gregation  '  ?     '  And     Yahweh    spake    unto     Moses,     saying, 

24  Speak  unto  the  congregation,'  saying,  Get  you  up  from  about 
27  '  the  Tabernacle  of  Yahweh.'  So  they  gat  them  up  from  '  the 
35  Tabernacle  of  Yahweh  '  on  every  side.     And  fire  came  forth 

from  Yahweh  and  devoured  the  two    hundred  and  fifty  men 
that  were  offering  the  'incense.' 


CIRC.  450  B.  C.  375 

Renewed  Murmurings  and  Plague.    The  Budding  of  Aaron's 

Rod  a  Token  of  Yahweh's  Choosing  of  the  Aaronic 

Priesthood. 

But  on  the  morrow  'all  the  congregation  of  the  children  41 
of  Israel  murmured  against  Moses  and  against  Aaron,  say- 
ing,' Ye  have  killed  the  people  of  Yahweh.     And  it  came  to  42 
pass,  when  '  the  congregation  was  assembled  against  Moses 
and   against  Aaron,'  that  they  looked  toward  the  Tent  of 
Meeting  :  and,  behold,  the  cloud  covered  it,  *  and  the  Glory 
of  Yahweh  appeared.'     And  Moses  and  Aaron  came  to  the  43 
front  of   the  Tent    of    Meeting.     And  Yahweh  spake  unto  44 
Moses,  saying,  '  Get  you  up  from  among  this  congregation,  45 
tliat    I  may    consume  them  in  a  moment.'     '  And   they  fell  46 
upon  their  faces.'     And  Moses   said   unto   Aaron,  Take  thy 
'censer,'    and    put  fire  therein   from  off    the  altar,  and  lay 
'  incense  '  thereon,  and  carry  it  quickly  unto  '  the  congrega- 
tion,' and  '  make  atonement '  for  them  :  for  there   is  wrath 
gone    out     from     Yahweh  ;  the     '  plague '    is    begun.     And  47 
Aaron  took  as  Moses  spake,  and  ran  into  the  midst   of   '  the 
assembly  '  ;  and,  behold,  '  the  plague  '  was  begun  among  the 
people  :  and  he  put  on  the  '  incense,'  and  '  made  atonement ' 
for  the  people.     And  as  he  stood  between  the  dead  and  the  48 
living  '  the  plague  '  was  stayed.     Now  they  that  died  by  '  the  49 
plague '   were   fourteen    thousand    and   seven    hundred,   be- 
sides them  that  died  about  the  matter  of  Korah.     So  Aaron  50 
returned  unto  Moses  unto  the  door  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting  : 
and  '  the  plague  '  was  stayed. 

'  And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying.  Speak  unto  the  17 — 2 
children  of  Israel,'  and  take  of  them  rods,  one  for  each  '  fath- 
ers '  house,'  of  all  their  '  princes  according  to  their  fathers' 
houses,'  twelve  rods  :  write  thou  every   man's    name  upon 
his  rod.     And  thou  shalt  write  Aaron's  name    upon    the    rod     3 
of  Levi  :  for  there  shall  be  one  rod  for  each  '  head    of  their 
fathers'  houses.'     And  thou   shalt  lay  them   up    in    the   Tent    4 
of  Meeting  before  '  the  Testimony,'  where  I   meet  with  thee. 
And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  man  whom  I  shall  choose,    5 
his  rod  shall  bud:  and  I  will  make  to  cease  from   me  '  the 


37(i  THE  PRIESTLY  LAW-BOOK  F-. 

murmurings  of  the  children  of  Israel,  which  they  murmur 

6  against  you.'  And  Moses  spake  unto  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  all  their  '  princes'  gave  him  rods,  for  each  'prince  '  one, 
'  according  to  their  fathers'  houses,'  even  twelve  rods  :  and 

7  '  the  rod  of  Aaron '  was  among  their  rods.  And  Moses  laid 
up  the  rods  before  Yahweh  in  the  '  Tent  of  the  Testimony.' 

8  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that  Moses  went  into 
the  '  Tent  of  the  Testimony ' ;  and,  behold,  the  '  rod  of 
Aaron  '    for  the  house  of  Levi  was  budded,  and  put  forth 

9  buds,  and  bloomed  blossoms,  and  bare  ripe  almonds.  And 
Moses  brought  out  all  the  rods  from  before  Yahweh 
unto    all    the    children    of    Israel  :    and    they    looked,    and 

10  took  every  man  his  rod.  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses, 
Put  back  '  the  rod  of  Aaron  '  before  the  '  Testimony,'  to  be 
kept  for  a  token  against  the  children  of  rebellion  ;  that  thou 
mayest  make  an  end  of  *  their  murmurings  against  me,'  that 

11  they  die  not.  'Thus  did  Moses:  as  Yahweh  commanded 
him,  so  did  he.' 

12  And  the  children  of  Israel  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Be- 

13  hold,  we  perish,  we  are  undone,  we  are  all  undone.  Every 
one  that  cometh  near,  that  conieth  near  unto  the  Tabernacle 
of  Yahweh,  dieth  :  shall  we  perish  all  of  us  ? 

18  And  Yahweh  said  unto  Aaron,  Thou  and  thy  sons  '  and  thy 
fathers'  house'  with  thee  shall  'bear  the  iniquity'  of  the 
'  Sanctuary '  :  and  thou  and  thy  sons  witli  thee  shall  '  bear  the 

2  iniquity  '  of  your  priesthood.  And  thy  brethren  also,  the 
tribe  of  Levi,  the  tribe  of  thy  father,  bring  thou  near  with 
thee,  that  they  may  be  "joined"  {lavaJi)  unto  thee,  and  min- 
ister unto  thee  :  but  thou  and  thy  sons  with  thee  shall  niin- 

3  ister  before  the  '  Tent  of  the  Testimony.'  And  they  shall 
keep  thy  charge,  and  the  charge  of  all  the  Tent  :  only  they 
shall  not  come  nigh  unto  the  '  vessels  of  the  Sanctuary  '  and 

4  unto  the  altar,  that  they  die  not,  neither  they,  nor  ye.  And 
they  shall  be  "joined  "  unto  thee,  and  keep  the  charge  of  the 
Tent  of  Meeting,  for  all   the  service   of  the   Tent:   'and   a 

5  stranger  shall  not  come  nigh  unto  you.'  And  ye  shall  keep 
the  charge  of  the   Sanctuary,  and  the  charge   of  the  altar : 


CIRC.  450  B.  C.  ;i 

that  there  be  wrath  no  more  upon  the  children  of  Israel. 
'And  I,  behold,  I  '  have  taken  your  brethren  the  Levites 
from  among  the  children  of  Israel  :  to. you  they  are  a  gift, 
given  unto  Yahweh,  to  do  the  service  of  the  Tent  of  Meet- 
ing. And  thou  and  thy  sons  with  thee  shall  keep  your 
priesthood  for  every  thing  of  the  altar,  and  for  that  within 
the  veil  ;  and  ye  shall  serve  :  I  give  you  the  priesthood  as 
a  service  of  privilege  :  '  and  the  stranger  that  cometh  nigh 
shall  be  put  to  death.' 


The  rest  of  chapter  xviii.  is  devoted  to  prescription  of  the  priests'  dues. 
Chapter  xix.  has  no  relation  to  the  context,  but  presents  the  law  of  purification 
in  case  of  various  defilements  from  dead  bodies. 


Meribah-Kadesh.    Water  from  the  Rock. 

*  And    the    children  of  Israel,   even  the  whole   congrega-  20 
tion,  came  into  the  wilderness  of  Zin  in  the  first  month  of 
the  fortieth  year.'     And  there  was  no  water  for  '  the  congre-    2 
gation  : '  *  and  they  assembled   themselves  together  against 
Moses  and  against    Aaron,'  and  spake,  saying,  '  Would  God 
that  we  had  died  '  when  our  brethren  died  before  Yahweh  ! 
And  why  have  ye  brought  '  the  assembly  of  Yahweh  '   into    4 
this  wilderness,  that  we  should  die  there.     '  And  Moses  and    6 
Aaron  went  from  the  presence  of  the  assembly  unto  the  door 
of  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  and  fell  upon  their  faces :   and  the 
Glory  of  Yahweh  appeared  unto  them.'     And  Yahweh  spake    7 
unto  Moses,  saying,  '  assemble  the  congregation,'  thou,  and    8 
Aaron  thy   brother,    and    speak    ye    unto  the    rock    before 
their  eyes  that  it  give  forth  its  water,  and   thou  shalt  bring 
forth  to  them  water  out  of  the  rock.     So   shalt  thou  give 
'the   congregation'   drink.      [And   Moses   and   Aaron    spake 
before    Yahweh]   and     said,  Shall   we    indeed   bring   them  lob 
forth  water  out  of  this  rock  ?     And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses 
and  Aaron,  Hear  me,  ye  rebels  ;  forasmuch   as  ye  believed  12 
not  in  me,  to  '  show  my  "  holiness  "  '  in  the  eyes  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  therefore  ye  shall  not  brin*  '  this  assembly ' 


378  THE  PRIESTL  V  LA  W-BOOK  F\ 

8  into  '  the  land  which  I  have  given  them.'  [And  unto  Moses 
he  said],  Take  thou  the  rod  [which  is  before  me,  and  smite 

9  the  rock  with  it  and  the  waters  shall  come  forth].  So  Moses 
took  the  rod  from  before  Yahweh  as  he  commanded  him. 
'  And   Moses  and   Aaron    gathered  the  assembly  together ' 

II  before  the  rock.  And  Moses  lifted  up  his  hand,  and  smote 
the  rock  with  his  rod  twice  :  and   water  came  forth  abund- 

13  antly,  and  the  'congregation  '  drank.  These  are  the  waters 
of  Meribah  [of  Kadesh]  ;  because  the  children  of  Israel 
"  strove  "  {rib)  with  Yahweh,  and  he  "  showed  himself  holy  " 
(kadesh)  among  them. 

Death  of  Aaron. 

22  'And  they  journeyed  from  Kadesh  :  and  the  children  of 
Israel,    even    the    whole    congregation,    came    unto     mount 

23  Hor.'  'And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron'  in 
mount   Hor,    by   the  border  of  the   land  of  Edom,  saying, 

24  Aaron  shall  be  '  gathered  unto  his  people  : '  for  he  shall  not 
enter  into  '  the  land  which  I  have  given  unto  the  children  of 
Israel,'  because  ye  '  rebelled  against  my  word '  at  the  waters 

25  of  Meribah.     Take   Aaron  and  Eleazar  his  son,   and  bring 

26  them  up  unto  mount  Hor  :  and  strip  Aaron  of  his  garments, 
and  put  them   upon  Eleazar  his  son  :  and   Aaron   '  shall  be 

27  gathered  [unto  his  people],'  and  shall  die  there.  'And 
Moses  did  as  Yahweh  commanded  :  '  and  they  went   up  into 

28  mount  Hor  '  in  the  sight  of  all  the  congregation.'  And 
Moses  stripped  Aaron  of  his  garments,  and  put  them  upon 
Eleazar  his  son  ;  and  Aaron  died  there  in  the  top  of  the 
mount  :  and  Moses  and  Eleazar  came  down  from  the  mount. 

29  And  when  '  all  the  congregation  '  saw  that  Aaron  was  dead, 
*  they  wept  for  Aaron  thirty  days,'  even  all  the  house  of  Israel. 

From  Hor  to  Nkbo. 
21 — 4       *  And  they  journeyed  from  mount  Hor  [and  pitched  in  ' 

10  'And  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed,  and  pitched  '  in  Oboth. 

11  'And    they  journeyed   from'   Oboth,    'and  pitched  at '  lye- 


CIRC.  450  B.  C.  379 

abarim.  'And  the  children  of  Israel  journeyed,  and  pitched  22 — i 
in  '  the  '  plains  of  Moab  beyond  the  Jordan  '  at  Jericho. 

The  Corruption  of  Israel  through  the  Counsel  of  Balaam. 
The  Plague  turned  away  by  Phinehas. 

[And  while  Israel  abode  in  the  plains  of  Moab  the  elders 
of  Moab  took  counsel  with  the  elders  of  Midian  how  they 
might  destroy  the  people.  And  the  elders  of  Midian  sent 
unto  Balaam  the  son  of  Beor  to  the  land  of  the  children  of 
Ammon,  and  he  gave  them  counsel  saying,  Give  your  daugh- 
ters unto  the  children  of  Israel  in  marriage  and  let  your 
people  mingle  with  theirs,  for  Yahweh  their  God  is  a  jealous 
God.  He  will  not  suffer  them  to  mmgle  with  the  nations 
round  about.  Thus  shall  ye  bring  enmity  from  Yahweh 
upon  Israel.  And  the  counsel  pleased  the  elders  of  Moab 
and  the  elders  of  Midian,  and  they  did  so.  And  it  came  to 
pass  when  the  children  of  Israel  were  gone  in  to  the  daugh- 
ters of  Midian  that  Yahweh  sent  a  plague  into  the  camp  and 
the  people  died].  And,  behold,  one  of  the  children  of  Is-  25 — 6 
rael  came  and  brought  unto  his  brethren  a  Midianitish 
woman  '  in  the  sight  of  Moses,  and  in  the  sight  of  all  the 
congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel,'  while  they  were 
weeping  at  the  door  of  the  Tent  of  Meeting.  And  when  7 
Phinehas,  the  son  of  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaron  the  priest, 
saw  it,  he  rose  up  from  the  midst  of  the  '  congregation,'  and 
took  a  spear  in  his  hand  ;  and  he  went  after  the  man  of  8 
Israel  into  the  inner  room,  and  thrust  both  of  them  through, 
the  man  of  Israel,  and  the  woman  through  her  belly.  So 
*  the  plague  was  stayed  '  from  the  children  of  Israel.  And  9 
those  that  '  died  by  the  plague  '  were  twenty  and  four  thous- 
and. 

And  Yahweh  spoke  unto  Moses,  saying,  Phinehas,  the  lo-ri 
son  of  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaron  the  priest,  hath  turned  my 
wrath  away  from  the  children  of  Israel,  in  that  he  was  jeal- 
ous with  the  jealousy  I  myself  show  among  them,  so  that  I 
'consumed'  not  the  children  of  Israel  in  my  jealousy. 
Wherefore  say,    'Behold,  I  give    unto  him   my  covenant  of  12 


380  THE  PRIESTL  V  LA  IV-BOOK  F\ 

13  peace  '  :  and  it  shall  be  '  unto  him,  and  to  his  seed  after 
him,'  the  '  covenant  of  an  everlasting  priesthood  '  ;  because 
he  was  jealous  for  his  God,  and  '  made  atonement '  for  the 

14  children  of  Israel.  Now  the  name  of  the  man  of  Israel 
that  was  slain,  who  was  slain  with  the  Midianitish  woman, 
was  Zimri,  the  son  of  Salu,  a  'prince   of  a  fathers'   house' 

15  among  the  Simeonites.  And  the  name  of  the  Midianitish 
woman  that  was  slain  was  Cozbi,  the  daughter  of  Zur  ;  he 
was  *  head  of  the  people  of  a  fathers'  house  '  in  Midian. 

16-17  And  Yahweh  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  Vex  the  Mid- 
ianites,  and  smite  them  :  for  they  vex  you  with  their  wiles, 
wherewith  they  have  beguiled  you. 

[The  War  with  Midian]. 

(31 — 1-54)  [So  Moses  chose  out  men  and  sent  them  to  smite 
the  Midianites,  and  they  destroyed  them  so  that  there  re- 
mained not  one,  and  devoted  their  cities  ;  and  they  returned 
to  Moses  to  the  camp]. 

The  Inheritance  of  Gad  and  Reuben. 

32      Now    the  children    of  Reuben    and  the  children   of  Gad 
2     had  a  multitude  of  cattle  :  and  they  came  and  spake  '  unto 
Moses,  and  to  Eleazar  the  priest,  and  unto  the  princes  of  the 
4    congregation,'  saying,  the  land  which  Yahweh  '  smote  before 
the  congregation  of  Israel,'  is  a  land  for  cattle,  and  thy  serv- 
ants have  cattle.     [Let  us  now  receive    our    inheritance  on 

18  this  side  Jordan].  We  will  not  return  unto  our  houses, 
until  the  children  of   Israel   have  '  inherited   every  man  his 

19  inheritance.'  For  we  will  not  inherit  with  them  on  the 
other  side  Jordan,  and  forward;  because  '  our  inheritance' 
is  fallen  to  us  on  this  side  Jordan  eastward. 

28  So  Moses  gave  charge  concerning  them  '  to  Eleazar  the 
priest,  and  to  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  and  to  the  heads  of 
the  fathers'  [houses]  of  the  tribes  of  the  children  of  Israel." 

29  And  Moses  said  unto  them,  If  the  children  of  Gad  and  the 
children  of  Rtniben  will  pass  with  you  over  Jordan,  'every 
man  that  is  armed  to  battle,'  before  Yahweh,  and  the  land 


CIRC.  450  n.  C.  381 

shall   be  subdued  before  you  ;  then  ye  shall   give    them  the 
land  of  Gilead  '  for  a  possession  '  :   but  if  they  will  ncjt   i)ass  30 
over  with  you  armed,  they  shall    have    'possessions'    among 
you  in  the  land  of  Canaan.     And  the   children   of  Clad  and  31 
the  children   of  Reuben   answered,   saying,  As  Yahweh   hath 
said  unto  thy   servants,  so   will    we   do.      We    will    pass  over  32 
armed  before   Yahweh  into  the   land   of   Canaan,  and  '  the 
possession  of  our  inheritance  '  [shall  remain]  with  us  beyond 
Jordan.     So  Moses  gave  them  the  land   [of  Gilead]  '  accord-  t,^ 
ing  to  the  cities  thereof  with  [their]  borders,  even  the  cities 
of  the  land  round  about." 

Preparation  for  Moses'  Death.     He  Receives  Direction  to 
Appoint  Joshua  in  his  Stead. 

And  Yahweh  said  unto  Moses,  Get  thee  up  into  this  27 — 12 
mountain    of    Abarim,  and    behold  '  the  land  which  I  have 
given  unto  the  children  of  Israel'     And  when  thou  hast  seen  13 
it,  thou  also  '  shalt  be  gathered   unto  thy  people,'  as   Aaron 
thy  brother  was  gathered  :  because  '  ye  rebelled  against  my  14 
word  '    in  the  wilderness  of  Zin,  in  the  strife  of  the  ''  congre- 
gation,' to  '  sanctify  me  '  in  the  matter  of  the  waters  '  before 
their  eyes.'     (These  are  the  waters  of  Meribah  of  Kadesh  in 
the   wilderness  of  Zin).      And   Moses  spake  unto    Yahweh,  15 
saying.  Let  Yahweh,  'the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,'  ap-  16 
point    a    man    over    the  '  congregation,'  which  may  go  out 
before   them,    and   which    may    come    in    before  them,  and  17 
which  may  lead   them  out,  and  which   may  bring  them  in  , 
that  '  the  congregation   of  Yahweh  '  be  not  as    sheep  which 
have    no  shepherd.     And  Yahweh  said   unto    Moses,  Take  18 
thee    Joshua   the    son    of  Nun,    a    '  man     in     whom    is   the 
spirit,'    and     lay   thine  hand   upon    him  ;     and    set   him    be-  19 
fore    '  Eleazar    the    priest,  and  before  all  the  congregation  '  ; 
and  give  him  a  charge  in  their   sight.      And    thou   shalt   put  20 
of  thine  authority  upon  him,  that  '  all  the  congregation  of 
the  children  of  Israel  '  may  obey.     And   he  shall   stand  be-  21 
fore  '  Eleazar  the  priest,'  who  shall  inquire  for  him  '  by  the 
oracle   of  the    Urim,'  before  Yahweh  :  '  at  his    word  '  shall 


383  THE  PRIES  TL  V  LA  W-BOOK  P\ 

they  go  out,  and  '  at  his  word '  they  shall    come  in,  both  he, 
and    all    the  children    of   Israel     with     him,    even    '  all    the 

22  congregation.'  'And  Moses  did  as  Yahweh  commanded  him  '  : 
and  he  took  Joshua,  and  set  him  'before  Eleazar  the  priest, 

23  and  before  all  the  congregation'  :  and  he  laid  his  hands  upon 
him,  and  gave  him  a  charge,  '  as  Yahweh  spake  by  the  hand 
of  Moses.' 


DEUTERONOMY.     ("Words  of  Moses.") 

Death  of  Moses. 

34      So  Moses  went  up  '  from  the  plains  of  Moab  '  unto  mount 
5  Nebo,  [and  died  there]  '  according  to  the  word  of  Yahweh.' 

7  '  And  Moses  was  an  hundred  and  twenty  years  old  when  he 
died '  :  his  eye  was   not    dim,  nor  his  natural  force  abated. 

8  '  And  the  children  of  Israel  wept  for  Moses  in  the  plains  of 
Moab  thirty  days  '  :  so  the  days  of  weeping  in  the  mourning 

9  for  Moses  were  ended.  And  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  was 
'  full  of  the  spirit  of  wisdom '  ;  for  Moses  had  laid  his  hands 
upon  him  :  and  the  children  of  Israel  hearkened  unto  him, 
and  '  did  as  Yahweh  commanded  Moses.' 


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